A Randomized Controlled Trial of Oral Immunotherapy Versus Allergen Avoidance in Children Under 2 Years With Food Allergy
SAFARI
A Systems Biology Approach to Treatment of Food Allergy: A Randomized Controlled Trial of Oral Immunotherapy in Children Under 2 Years (SAFARI)
1 other identifier
interventional
120
1 country
1
Brief Summary
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn whether oral immunotherapy (OIT) is safe and effective for treating food allergy in children aged 0-2 years with peanut, tree nut, or sesame allergy. The study also aims to identify biological mechanisms and biomarkers associated with natural tolerance development and successful OIT using a systems biology approach. The main questions it aims to answer are:
- Be randomized to either oral immunotherapy or allergen avoidance for 18-24 months.
- Undergo oral food challenges at study visits to assess allergic reactivity and treatment outcomes.
- Provide blood, urine, hair, skin swabs, skin tape strips, throat swabs, nasal lining fluid, and stool samples at baseline and at the end of the study for immune, microbiome, metabolomic, gene expression, and epigenetic analyses.
- Complete allergy assessments, including skin prick testing and clinical evaluations.
- Have allergic symptoms, adverse reactions, and development of other allergic diseases monitored throughout the study.
- Have parents complete questionnaires assessing food allergy-related quality of life, anxiety, and coping.
Trial Health
Trial Health Score
Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach
participants targeted
Target at P50-P75 for not_applicable
Started Sep 2026
Longer than P75 for not_applicable
1 active site
Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.
Trial Relationships
Click on a node to explore related trials.
Study Timeline
Key milestones and dates
Study Start
First participant enrolled
September 1, 2026
CompletedFirst Submitted
Initial submission to the registry
September 3, 2026
CompletedFirst Posted
Study publicly available on registry
September 17, 2026
CompletedPrimary Completion
Last participant's last visit for primary outcome
March 1, 2031
ExpectedStudy Completion
Last participant's last visit for all outcomes
June 1, 2031
September 17, 2026
September 1, 2026
4.5 years
September 3, 2026
September 11, 2026
Conditions
Keywords
Outcome Measures
Primary Outcomes (3)
Oral Food Challenge Response at End of Treatment
Effect of oral immunotherapy will be assessed by oral food challenge (OFC) at the end of treatment and compared with the control arm. Participants will be classified into predefined response categories: successful responders, defined as participants tolerating a 4000 mg food protein OFC; partial responders, defined as participants with an increased reaction threshold to at least 1000 mg food protein but not tolerating the final 4000 mg OFC and/or experiencing difficulties during up-dosing; and non-responders, defined as participants discontinuing OIT due to allergic reactions or having a reaction threshold below 1000 mg food protein.
End of treatment, approximately 18-24 months after randomization
Difficulty With Up-dosing During Oral Immunotherapy
Difficulty with up-dosing will be assessed in participants randomized to the OIT group. Difficulty is defined as allergic reactions, dose reductions, delayed dose escalation, temporary treatment interruption, or inability to complete the planned up-dosing phase according to protocol.
During the up-dosing phase, approximately 0-6 months after treatment initiation.
Sustained Unresponsiveness
Sustained unresponsiveness will be assessed by oral food challenge (OFC) after 6 months of either avoidance or regular intake of the allergenic food, according to randomization after completion of OIT. Success of the OFC will indicate potential long-term tolerance rather than transient desensitization.
24-30 months after initial randomization, corresponding to approximately 6 months after completion of OIT.
Secondary Outcomes (12)
Change in Gut Microbiome Diversity Assessed by Shannon Index
Baseline to end of treatment, approximately 18-24 months after randomization.
Change in Fecal Metabolite Levels
Baseline to end of treatment, approximately 18-24 months after randomization.
Change in Blood Immunoglobulin Markers
Baseline to end of treatment, approximately 18-24 months after randomization.
Change in Mast Cell Activation
Baseline to end of treatment, approximately 18-24 months after randomization.
Change in Plasma Metabolite Levels
Baseline to end of treatment, approximately 18-24 months after randomization.
- +7 more secondary outcomes
Study Arms (2)
Intervention arm
EXPERIMENTALParticipants will receive oral immunotherapy (OIT) for their diagnosed food allergy to peanut, tree nuts, or sesame.
Control arm
NO INTERVENTIONParticipants randomized to the control arm will follow standard of care consisting of avoidance of the relevant food allergen.
Interventions
Daily OIT will be administered with the relevant food allergen. Treatment includes gradual dose escalation over approximately 6 months, followed by a 12-month maintenance phase with daily intake of 300 mg food protein. Assessment of sustained unresponsiveness: Following completion of OIT and a successful end-of-treatment oral food challenge, participants in the OIT arm will undergo a second 1:1 randomization to either continued regular allergen consumption or allergen avoidance. After an additional 6 months, participants will undergo another oral food challenge to assess sustained unresponsiveness.
Eligibility Criteria
You may qualify if:
- Children age 0-2 years
- Both parents provide informed consent
You may not qualify if:
- Already undergoing any form of immunotherapy
- Already undergoing any form of biological treatment
- Medical conditions precluding OITs: Uncontrolled asthma, atopic dermatitis requiring systemic therapy, eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) and other GI-diseases, other severe immunological diseases (e.g. inborn errors of immunity )
Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.
Sponsors & Collaborators
Study Sites (1)
Department of Paediatrics, Herlev Hospital
Herlev, Capital Region, 2730, Denmark
Related Publications (35)
Huang J, Puglisi LH, Cook KA, Kelso JM, Wangberg H. Safety and Feasibility of Peanut, Tree Nut, and Sesame Oral Immunotherapy in Infants and Toddlers in a Real-World Setting. J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2025 Jan;13(1):185-191.e3. doi: 10.1016/j.jaip.2024.09.025. Epub 2024 Sep 30.
PMID: 39357559BACKGROUNDTang MLK, Lozinsky AC, Loke P. Peanut Oral Immunotherapy: State of the Art. Immunol Allergy Clin North Am. 2020 Feb;40(1):97-110. doi: 10.1016/j.iac.2019.09.005. Epub 2019 Nov 6.
PMID: 31761124BACKGROUNDBlackman AC, Staggers KA, Kronisch L, Davis CM, Anagnostou A. Quality of life improves significantly after real-world oral immunotherapy for children with peanut allergy. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2020 Aug;125(2):196-201.e1. doi: 10.1016/j.anai.2020.03.028. Epub 2020 Apr 8.
PMID: 32278075BACKGROUNDEpstein-Rigbi N, Goldberg MR, Levy MB, Nachshon L, Elizur A. Quality of Life of Food-Allergic Patients Before, During, and After Oral Immunotherapy. J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2019 Feb;7(2):429-436.e2. doi: 10.1016/j.jaip.2018.06.016. Epub 2018 Jul 7.
PMID: 30129441BACKGROUNDChinthrajah RS, Purington N, Andorf S, Long A, O'Laughlin KL, Lyu SC, Manohar M, Boyd SD, Tibshirani R, Maecker H, Plaut M, Mukai K, Tsai M, Desai M, Galli SJ, Nadeau KC. Sustained outcomes in oral immunotherapy for peanut allergy (POISED study): a large, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 2 study. Lancet. 2019 Oct 19;394(10207):1437-1449. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(19)31793-3. Epub 2019 Sep 12.
PMID: 31522849BACKGROUNDKeet CA, Seopaul S, Knorr S, Narisety S, Skripak J, Wood RA. Long-term follow-up of oral immunotherapy for cow's milk allergy. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2013 Sep;132(3):737-739.e6. doi: 10.1016/j.jaci.2013.05.006. Epub 2013 Jun 25. No abstract available.
PMID: 23806635BACKGROUNDChua GT, Soller L, Kapur S, McHenry M, Rex GA, Cook VE, Cameron SB, Chan ES, Yeung J, Erdle SC. Real-world safety and effectiveness analysis of low-dose preschool sesame oral immunotherapy. J Allergy Clin Immunol Glob. 2023 Sep 23;3(1):100171. doi: 10.1016/j.jacig.2023.100171. eCollection 2024 Feb.
PMID: 37915725BACKGROUNDWood RA, Kim JS, Lindblad R, Nadeau K, Henning AK, Dawson P, Plaut M, Sampson HA. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of omalizumab combined with oral immunotherapy for the treatment of cow's milk allergy. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2016 Apr;137(4):1103-1110.e11. doi: 10.1016/j.jaci.2015.10.005. Epub 2015 Nov 12.
PMID: 26581915BACKGROUNDShah A, Cox AL, Groetch M, Kattan JD, Schaible A, Sicherer SH, Tsuang A, Wang J, Oriel RC. Sesame oral immunotherapy outcomes in a pediatric cohort. J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2025 Apr;13(4):938-940.e1. doi: 10.1016/j.jaip.2025.01.036. Epub 2025 Feb 8. No abstract available.
PMID: 39929303BACKGROUNDNachshon L, Goldberg MR, Levy MB, Appel MY, Epstein-Rigbi N, Lidholm J, Holmqvist M, Katz Y, Elizur A. Efficacy and Safety of Sesame Oral Immunotherapy-A Real-World, Single-Center Study. J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2019 Nov-Dec;7(8):2775-2781.e2. doi: 10.1016/j.jaip.2019.05.031. Epub 2019 May 29.
PMID: 31150789BACKGROUNDAndorf S, Purington N, Block WM, Long AJ, Tupa D, Brittain E, Rudman Spergel A, Desai M, Galli SJ, Nadeau KC, Chinthrajah RS. Anti-IgE treatment with oral immunotherapy in multifood allergic participants: a double-blind, randomised, controlled trial. Lancet Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2018 Feb;3(2):85-94. doi: 10.1016/S2468-1253(17)30392-8. Epub 2017 Dec 12.
PMID: 29242014BACKGROUNDElizur A, Appel MY, Nachshon L, Levy MB, Epstein-Rigbi N, Pontoppidan B, Lidholm J, Goldberg MR. Walnut oral immunotherapy for desensitisation of walnut and additional tree nut allergies (Nut CRACKER): a single-centre, prospective cohort study. Lancet Child Adolesc Health. 2019 May;3(5):312-321. doi: 10.1016/S2352-4642(19)30029-X. Epub 2019 Mar 27.
PMID: 30926371BACKGROUNDMoraly T, Pelletier de Chambure D, Verdun S, Preda C, Seynave M, Vilain AC, Chenivesse C, Delebarre-Sauvage C. Oral Immunotherapy for Hazelnut Allergy: A Single-Center Retrospective Study on 100 Patients. J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2020 Feb;8(2):704-709.e4. doi: 10.1016/j.jaip.2019.10.045. Epub 2019 Nov 18.
PMID: 31751759BACKGROUNDSoller L, Carr S, Kapur S, Rex GA, McHenry M, Cook VE, Leo S, Wong T, Vander Leek TK, Gerstner TV, Yeung J, Abrams EM, Mak R, Hildebrand KJ, Erdle SC, Cameron SB, Chan ES. Real-world peanut OIT in infants may be safer than non-infant preschool OIT and equally effective. J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2022 Apr;10(4):1113-1116.e1. doi: 10.1016/j.jaip.2021.12.009. Epub 2021 Dec 23. No abstract available.
PMID: 34954121BACKGROUNDBurks AW, Jones SM, Wood RA, Fleischer DM, Sicherer SH, Lindblad RW, Stablein D, Henning AK, Vickery BP, Liu AH, Scurlock AM, Shreffler WG, Plaut M, Sampson HA; Consortium of Food Allergy Research (CoFAR). Oral immunotherapy for treatment of egg allergy in children. N Engl J Med. 2012 Jul 19;367(3):233-43. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1200435.
PMID: 22808958BACKGROUNDJones SM, Kim EH, Nadeau KC, Nowak-Wegrzyn A, Wood RA, Sampson HA, Scurlock AM, Chinthrajah S, Wang J, Pesek RD, Sindher SB, Kulis M, Johnson J, Spain K, Babineau DC, Chin H, Laurienzo-Panza J, Yan R, Larson D, Qin T, Whitehouse D, Sever ML, Sanda S, Plaut M, Wheatley LM, Burks AW; Immune Tolerance Network. Efficacy and safety of oral immunotherapy in children aged 1-3 years with peanut allergy (the Immune Tolerance Network IMPACT trial): a randomised placebo-controlled study. Lancet. 2022 Jan 22;399(10322):359-371. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(21)02390-4.
PMID: 35065784BACKGROUNDPALISADE Group of Clinical Investigators; Vickery BP, Vereda A, Casale TB, Beyer K, du Toit G, Hourihane JO, Jones SM, Shreffler WG, Marcantonio A, Zawadzki R, Sher L, Carr WW, Fineman S, Greos L, Rachid R, Ibanez MD, Tilles S, Assa'ad AH, Nilsson C, Rupp N, Welch MJ, Sussman G, Chinthrajah S, Blumchen K, Sher E, Spergel JM, Leickly FE, Zielen S, Wang J, Sanders GM, Wood RA, Cheema A, Bindslev-Jensen C, Leonard S, Kachru R, Johnston DT, Hampel FC Jr, Kim EH, Anagnostou A, Pongracic JA, Ben-Shoshan M, Sharma HP, Stillerman A, Windom HH, Yang WH, Muraro A, Zubeldia JM, Sharma V, Dorsey MJ, Chong HJ, Ohayon J, Bird JA, Carr TF, Siri D, Fernandez-Rivas M, Jeong DK, Fleischer DM, Lieberman JA, Dubois AEJ, Tsoumani M, Ciaccio CE, Portnoy JM, Mansfield LE, Fritz SB, Lanser BJ, Matz J, Oude Elberink HNG, Varshney P, Dilly SG, Adelman DC, Burks AW. AR101 Oral Immunotherapy for Peanut Allergy. N Engl J Med. 2018 Nov 22;379(21):1991-2001. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1812856. Epub 2018 Nov 18.
PMID: 30449234BACKGROUNDLee ECK, Trogen B, Brady K, Ford LS, Wang J. The Natural History and Risk Factors for the Development of Food Allergies in Children and Adults. Curr Allergy Asthma Rep. 2024 Mar;24(3):121-131. doi: 10.1007/s11882-024-01131-3. Epub 2024 Feb 28.
PMID: 38416390BACKGROUNDBorne GE, Daniel CP, Wagner MJ, Plaisance CJ, Nolen A, Kelkar RA, Ahmadzadeh S, Myrcik D, Shekoohi S, Kaye AD, Varrassi G. Palforzia for Peanut Allergy: A Narrative Review and Update on a Novel Immunotherapy. Cureus. 2023 Dec 13;15(12):e50485. doi: 10.7759/cureus.50485. eCollection 2023 Dec.
PMID: 38222206BACKGROUNDAndorf S, Purington N, Kumar D, Long A, O'Laughlin KL, Sicherer S, Sampson H, Cianferoni A, Whitehorn TB, Petroni D, Makhija M, Robison RG, Lierl M, Logsdon S, Desai M, Galli SJ, Rael E, Assa'ad A, Chinthrajah S, Pongracic J, Spergel JM, Tam J, Tilles S, Wang J, Nadeau K. A Phase 2 Randomized Controlled Multisite Study Using Omalizumab-facilitated Rapid Desensitization to Test Continued vs Discontinued Dosing in Multifood Allergic Individuals. EClinicalMedicine. 2019 Jan 21;7:27-38. doi: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2018.12.006. eCollection 2019 Jan.
PMID: 31193674BACKGROUNDZuberbier T, Wood RA, Bindslev-Jensen C, Fiocchi A, Chinthrajah RS, Worm M, Deschildre A, Fernandez-Rivas M, Santos AF, Jaumont X, Tassinari P. Omalizumab in IgE-Mediated Food Allergy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2023 Apr;11(4):1134-1146. doi: 10.1016/j.jaip.2022.11.036. Epub 2022 Dec 15.
PMID: 36529441BACKGROUNDChinthrajah RS, Sindher SB, Nadeau KC, Leflein JG, Spergel JM, Petroni DH, Jones SM, Casale TB, Wang J, Carr WW, Shreffler WG, Wood RA, Wambre E, Liu J, Akinlade B, Atanasio A, Orengo JM, Hamilton JD, Kamal MA, Hooper AT, Patel K, Laws E, Mannent LP, Adelman DC, Ratnayake A, Radin AR. Dupilumab as an Adjunct to Oral Immunotherapy in Pediatric Patients With Peanut Allergy. Allergy. 2025 Mar;80(3):827-842. doi: 10.1111/all.16420. Epub 2024 Dec 14.
PMID: 39673367BACKGROUNDSindher SB, Fiocchi A, Zuberbier T, Arasi S, Wood RA, Chinthrajah RS. The Role of Biologics in the Treatment of Food Allergy. J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2024 Mar;12(3):562-568. doi: 10.1016/j.jaip.2023.11.032. Epub 2023 Nov 25.
PMID: 38013157BACKGROUNDSoller L, Abrams EM, Carr S, Kapur S, Rex GA, Leo S, Lidman PG, Yeung J, Vander Leek TK, McHenry M, Wong T, Cook VE, Hildebrand KJ, Gerstner TV, Mak R, Lee NJ, Cameron SB, Chan ES. First Real-World Safety Analysis of Preschool Peanut Oral Immunotherapy. J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2019 Nov-Dec;7(8):2759-2767.e5. doi: 10.1016/j.jaip.2019.04.010. Epub 2019 Apr 17.
PMID: 31002957BACKGROUNDErdle SC, Cook VE, Cameron SB, Yeung J, Kapur S, McHenry M, Chan ES, Mak R, Rex GA, Wong T, Soller L. Real-World Safety Analysis of Preschool Tree Nut Oral Immunotherapy. J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2023 Apr;11(4):1177-1183. doi: 10.1016/j.jaip.2023.01.031. Epub 2023 Feb 1.
PMID: 36736958BACKGROUNDKarunakaran D, Chan ES, Zhang Q, Bone JN, Carr S, Kapur S, Rex GA, McHenry M, Cameron SB, Cook VE, Leo S, Wong T, Gerstner TV, Yeung J, Abrams EM, Mak R, Erdle SC, Soller L. Risk factors associated with safety of preschool peanut oral immunotherapy. J Allergy Clin Immunol Glob. 2023 Mar 21;2(2):100094. doi: 10.1016/j.jacig.2023.100094. eCollection 2023 May.
PMID: 37780798BACKGROUNDLeung DY, Sampson HA, Yunginger JW, Burks AW Jr, Schneider LC, Wortel CH, Davis FM, Hyun JD, Shanahan WR Jr; Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children Study Team. Effect of anti-IgE therapy in patients with peanut allergy. N Engl J Med. 2003 Mar 13;348(11):986-93. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa022613. Epub 2003 Mar 10.
PMID: 12637608BACKGROUNDWood RA, Togias A, Sicherer SH, Shreffler WG, Kim EH, Jones SM, Leung DYM, Vickery BP, Bird JA, Spergel JM, Iqbal A, Olsson J, Ligueros-Saylan M, Uddin A, Calatroni A, Huckabee CM, Rogers NH, Yovetich N, Dantzer J, Mudd K, Wang J, Groetch M, Pyle D, Keet CA, Kulis M, Sindher SB, Long A, Scurlock AM, Lanser BJ, Lee T, Parrish C, Brown-Whitehorn T, Spergel AKR, Veri M, Hamrah SD, Brittain E, Poyser J, Wheatley LM, Chinthrajah RS. Omalizumab for the Treatment of Multiple Food Allergies. N Engl J Med. 2024 Mar 7;390(10):889-899. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2312382. Epub 2024 Feb 25.
PMID: 38407394BACKGROUNDJeong K, Lee S. Natural course of IgE-mediated food allergy in children. Clin Exp Pediatr. 2023 Dec;66(12):504-511. doi: 10.3345/cep.2022.01004. Epub 2023 Jun 14.
PMID: 37321568BACKGROUNDDunnGalvin A, Dubois AE, Flokstra-de Blok BM, Hourihane JO. The effects of food allergy on quality of life. Chem Immunol Allergy. 2015;101:235-52. doi: 10.1159/000375106. Epub 2015 May 21.
PMID: 26022884BACKGROUNDGolding MA, Batac ALR, Gunnarsson NV, Ahlstedt S, Middelveld R, Protudjer JLP. The burden of food allergy on children and teens: A systematic review. Pediatr Allergy Immunol. 2022 Mar;33(3):e13743. doi: 10.1111/pai.13743.
PMID: 35338731BACKGROUNDGolding MA, Protudjer JLP. A review of food allergy-related costs with consideration to clinical and demographic factors. Curr Opin Allergy Clin Immunol. 2023 Jun 1;23(3):246-251. doi: 10.1097/ACI.0000000000000903. Epub 2023 Mar 28.
PMID: 37185830BACKGROUNDGupta RS, Springston EE, Warrier MR, Smith B, Kumar R, Pongracic J, Holl JL. The prevalence, severity, and distribution of childhood food allergy in the United States. Pediatrics. 2011 Jul;128(1):e9-17. doi: 10.1542/peds.2011-0204. Epub 2011 Jun 20.
PMID: 21690110BACKGROUNDBranum AM, Lukacs SL. Food allergy among children in the United States. Pediatrics. 2009 Dec;124(6):1549-55. doi: 10.1542/peds.2009-1210. Epub 2009 Nov 16.
PMID: 19917585BACKGROUNDBoyce JA, Assa'ad A, Burks AW, Jones SM, Sampson HA, Wood RA, Plaut M, Cooper SF, Fenton MJ, Arshad SH, Bahna SL, Beck LA, Byrd-Bredbenner C, Camargo CA Jr, Eichenfield L, Furuta GT, Hanifin JM, Jones C, Kraft M, Levy BD, Lieberman P, Luccioli S, McCall KM, Schneider LC, Simon RA, Simons FE, Teach SJ, Yawn BP, Schwaninger JM; NIAID-Sponsored Expert Panel. Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Food Allergy in the United States: Summary of the NIAID-Sponsored Expert Panel Report. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2010 Dec;126(6):1105-18. doi: 10.1016/j.jaci.2010.10.008. No abstract available.
PMID: 21134568BACKGROUND
MeSH Terms
Conditions
Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)
Central Study Contacts
Study Design
- Study Type
- interventional
- Phase
- not applicable
- Allocation
- RANDOMIZED
- Masking
- NONE
- Purpose
- TREATMENT
- Intervention Model
- PARALLEL
- Sponsor Type
- OTHER
- Responsible Party
- SPONSOR
Study Record Dates
First Submitted
September 3, 2026
First Posted
September 17, 2026
Study Start
September 1, 2026
Primary Completion (Estimated)
March 1, 2031
Study Completion (Estimated)
June 1, 2031
Last Updated
September 17, 2026
Record last verified: 2026-09
Data Sharing
- IPD Sharing
- Will share
- Shared Documents
- STUDY PROTOCOL, SAP, ICF, CSR, ANALYTIC CODE
- Time Frame
- Beginning 12 months following publication of the primary results and ending 5 years after publication.
- Access Criteria
- Data will be available to researchers who provide a methodologically sound proposal for achieving the aims of the approved proposal. Proposals will be reviewed by the study investigators and access will require a signed data access agreement.
Individual participant data that underlie the results reported in publications (after de-identification), together with the study protocol, statistical analysis plan, and data dictionary, will be made available upon reasonable request to the corresponding author, subject to approval of a data access agreement and applicable ethical and legal requirements.