McMaster researchers discover cell that holds memory of allergies

A McMaster University research team has made a breakthrough that may change how we develop therapeutics for treating allergic reactions.

They found that people with allergies possess a unique kind of cell that had previously gone undiscovered.

“We’ve discovered a type of memory B cell that had unique characteristics and a unique gene signature that has not been described before,” said Josh Koenig, the co-lead of the study.

“We found allergic people had this memory B cell against their allergen, but non-allergic people had very few, if any.”

B cells are a type of antibody that create white blood cells, which help stave off infections. However, that same function also plays a role in the root cause of allergic reactions in many people.

The new B cell that they’ve discovered is being coined “type-2 memory B cell,” or MBC2 for short, and they say it holds a measurable metric from previous encounters with certain allergens.

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Whether it is birch pollen or peanuts, this never-before-seen cell stores memory of the allergic reaction and plays a part in triggering future responses.

This new connection between incidents of allergic reactions and how the body recalls them could help scientists develop new ways to treat allergies.

“The discovery really pinpoints two potential therapeutic approaches we might be able to take,” says Kelly Bruton, a co-lead on the research project.

“The first is targeting those MBC2s and eliminating them from an allergic person. The other option could involve changing their function and have them do something that’s not going to be ultimately harmful when the individual is exposed to the allergen.”

The work being done at McMaster University is done in partnership with a Denmark-based pharmaceutical company called ALK-Abello A/S.

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