Discovery of special dendritic cells sheds light on food allergy prevention

Discovery of special dendritic cells sheds light on food allergy prevention

The immune system must be able to quickly attack invaders like viruses, while also ignoring harmless stimuli, or allergies can result. Immune cells are known to ignore or "tolerate" molecules found on the body's own healthy cells, for instance, as well as nonthreatening substances from outside the body like food.

Tolerogenic Dendritic Cells in Gut Prevent Allergic Reactions to Food

The immune system must be able to rapidly target invaders such as viruses while avoiding innocuous stimuli, or allergies may develop.