The peanut allergy is one of the most common food allergies in the world, and yet there is still much that we don’t understand about it. This puzzle is precisely what researcher Jing-Ke Weng, a professor of chemistry and bioengineering at Northeastern University, is aiming to solve. In an interview with the Sampan, Weng revealed more about his research on peanut allergies—what pushed him to pursue this particular subject, the work he’s hoping to achieve, and his research’s potential implications for the wider field of plant chemistry and the human body.
Current science has discovered that peanuts, which are actually legumes, contain certain storage proteins — used for storing nutrients but possibly also as a defense against predators — that has been shown to elicit immune system responses from some people. Oddly, however, though peanuts are widely consumed, “only a small fraction of the population develops allergic reactions,” Weng explained. “This disparity raises critical questions about the underlying immunological differences between allergic and non-allergic individuals. Moreover, the prevalence of peanut allergies has escalated in recent decades, particularly in highly industrialized countries.”
A number of factors could be the explanation, including changes in diet, hygiene, pollutant exposure.
It’s “a rich landscape for scientific exploration,” Weng said. “Advancements in this field hold significant promise for developing effective interventions, such as immunotherapies or dietary guidelines, to mitigate allergic reactions.”
For Weng, age 43, his interest in studying the complexities of peanut allergy stems from his curiosity with plant biochemistry and human health. “I became increasingly intrigued by how plant-derived compounds interact with animals and, ultimately, with the human body,” Weng said.
Why is it that certain proteins in plants present health risks to some individuals, while others are completely unscathed? “This curiosity drives my research endeavors in this field,” he said.
Weng and his collaborator Dr. Seth Rakoff-Nahoum from the Boston Children’s Hospital, were recently awarded a Pew Innovation Fund grant for their work. Both researchers were previously Pew Scholars, and were also investigators with the Food Allergy Science Initiative. The two had collaborated on several related projects. Their respective expertise in plant chemistry and the human micro-biome resulted in an interdisciplinary proposal that “aligned well with the Pew Innovation Fund’s mission to support pioneering biomedical research,” he told the Sampan.
“Moving forward, we aim to map the journey of peanut proteins through the human digestive system to pinpoint where and how they interact with immune cells to trigger allergic reactions. Insights from this research could pave the way for new therapeutic interventions or preventive measures against peanut allergies,” Weng said.
Artificial intelligence has also been a game-changer for Weng’s work, not just on peanut allergy research, but on plant chemodiversity—asking what mechanisms lead plants to develop a wide variety of chemical compounds—as well.
“(AI) enhances our ability to predict and design novel biosynthetic routes, accelerating the development of plant-inspired therapeutics. This interdisciplinary approach holds promise for creating innovative treatments for various human diseases,” Weng said.
In addition, Weng also serves as the director of the newly-established Institute for Plant-Human Interface (IPHI) at Northeastern University. “The mission of IPHI is to deepen our understanding of plant biology and the plant-human interactions that significantly influence human health and sustainability on Earth,” Weng explained.
“Our efforts are focused on decoding the unexplored interactions between plant molecules and the human body, aiming to uncover previously unknown disease mechanisms and identify new therapeutic modalities inspired by plant chemistry. Through this work, we aspire to bridge the gap between plant science and human health, fostering the development of novel, plant-inspired treatments for various diseases.”
