A tick bite can leave some people unable to safely eat beef, pork, or other mammalian products, but scientists may have found a way to interfere with the unusual allergy at its source.
Researchers from the National Institutes of Health and collaborating institutions have identified the first suite of human antibodies that specifically target alpha-gal, the sugar molecule responsible for alpha-gal syndrome. Two of the antibodies blocked important steps in the immune reaction in laboratory experiments, including the activation of cells involved in allergic reactions.
