Repurposing Abrocitinib for Food Allergy

Funded by Food Allergy Fund

Nicole B. Ramsey and Dr. Maria Curotto de Lafaille as Principal Investigators

Identification of an allergen agnostic therapeutic that could reduce reaction risk by improving allergen threshold, reducing reaction severity, or providing an adjuvant effect to enhance the safety and efficacy of oral immunotherapy, would be a major advance for food allergy treatment. We propose that repurposing a JAK inhibitor, specifically Abrocitinib, for food allergy could meet this goal. Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors are a type of medication that treat diseases by blocking JAK enzymes that send signals that start inflammatory immune processes.

Abrocitinib is a specific JAK1 inhibitor that is already approved for adults and adolescents with atopic dermatitis and well-tolerated. It is administered orally, does not cause immunogenicity, and is not allergen-specific, offering the possibility of using one medication to treat multiple allergies

We are currently conducting a mechanistic pilot study of Abrocitinib in food allergy (NCT05069831). This study is enrolling up to 40 adults to complete 4 months of treatment with Abrocitinib to examine the effect of Abrocitinib on basophil activation tests, allergen-specific IgE, and skin prick test wheal size.

This award from the Food Allergy Fund will support extended mechanistic studies on samples collected in our pilot study to further understand the effect of JAK1 inhibition on food allergy. We will use these samples to sensitize basophils and mast cells in vitro and explore how Abrocitinib impacts the milieu of antibodies, cytokines, chemokines, and other activating factors that may inhibit basophil and mast cell activation. We will also examine how Abrocitinib affects allergen-specific IgE and IgG4 antibodies and pro-allergic B cell phenotype.