Preventing food allergies by protecting babies' skin
SEAL (Stopping Atopic dermatitis and ALlergy) Study: Prevent allergy by enhancing the skin barrier
This trial tests whether starting a trilipid moisturizer plus early gentle topical steroids for babies with dry skin or early eczema can lower their chance of developing food allergies.
Quick facts
| Grant type | U01 cooperative agreement |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Harvard University D/b/a Harvard School of Public Health NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11393205 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If your baby develops dry skin or early eczema in the first weeks of life, this study would enroll them and start skin-focused treatment right away. Babies are randomly assigned to receive proactive care with a trilipid emollient and early topical steroid use versus a reactive approach when symptoms worsen. The trial plans to enroll about 750 infants and will follow them to see whether reducing skin problems prevents later food allergy. Doctors will monitor skin severity, any allergic sensitization, and food allergy outcomes over time through clinic visits and testing.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are infants who show dry skin or the earliest signs of eczema within the first 10 weeks of life and who do not yet have diagnosed food allergies.
Not a fit: Children who already have confirmed food allergies or older children beyond the newborn period are unlikely to gain preventive benefit from this intervention.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could lower the number of children who develop food allergies by preventing allergen sensitization through damaged skin.
How similar studies have performed: Prior trials like LEAP and EAT showed early feeding can prevent peanut allergy and smaller studies suggest improving the skin barrier may reduce sensitization, but large randomized trials using proactive skin barrier treatment for allergy prevention are still limited.
Where this research is happening
Boston, United States
- Harvard University D/b/a Harvard School of Public Health — Boston, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Nadeau, Kari C. — Harvard University D/b/a Harvard School of Public Health
- Study coordinator: Nadeau, Kari C.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.