Is There a Cure for Peanut Allergies?

Dr. Wesley Burks MD, left, speaks with 4 year-old Ashlyn Chadwick and her mother Karen about...

Dr. Wesley Burks MD, left, speaks with 4 year-old Ashlyn Chadwick and her mother Karen about Ashlyn's peanut allergies during a clinic at the Duke South Clinic at Duke University in Durham, N.C., Tuesday, March 10, 2009. Medical student Sean Prater looks on along with Dr. Edwin Kim, center. A handful of children once severely allergic to peanuts now can eat them without worry. Scientists have retrained their immune systems so they're allergy-free. /Inset: This undated file photo released by the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture shows a bag of peanuts.

(AP Photos)

The Results

The research could mean relief for the 1.8 million people in the United States that have peanut allergies.

But the true challenge for the Dutys came in 2007 — three years after Sam joined the study. He was now eating peanuts on a daily basis, but could he handle a whole peanut butter and jelly sandwich?

"He had no reaction. So it was a success. All the peanuts that we had fed him delivered no reaction," Duty said.

"Beginning the study it took literally less than a 10th of peanut for [Sam] to have allergic symptoms. As we got into the study on the first challenge he tolerated 13 to 15 peanuts without symptoms," Burks said.

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Immune-system tests showed no sign of remaining allergy in five youngsters, and others can withstand amounts that once would have left them wheezing or worse, scientists reported Sunday.

Today Sam is on daily maintenance dose of peanut indefinitely in order to keep up his tolerance. And it's not your average daily medication.

"It's not really even medicine, it's just Reese's Pieces," Sam said.

Ironically Sam has never learned to love peanuts or peanut butter, but his mother is relieved she is no longer concerned about what Sam puts in his mouth.

"You don't have to worry as much. You can send your kid to school, and not worry about a reaction at school, or a reaction at a friend's house. You can go out to eat," Duty said. "It's just — it's changed our lives."

But doctors have stopped short of calling the study's participants cured. They must track them for years longer before making that determination.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.