Preventing food allergy by strengthening babies' skin barrier
Official title: SEAL (Stopping Atopic dermatitis and ALlergy) Study: Prevent allergy by enhancing the skin barrier
Funded at Harvard University D/b/a Harvard School of Public Health · NIH-11392091 · Data updated 2026-11-12
See if giving a trilipid emollient plus proactive topical steroid treatment to infants with very early dry skin or 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 start | August 14, 2020 |
| Project end | May 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $126,846 |
| NIH project number | 3U01AI147462-06S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11392091 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are infants who show very early dry skin or eczema within the first 10 weeks of life and are otherwise eligible for a pediatric clinical trial.
✕Less likely to help
Infants without early dry skin or eczema, or those who already have diagnosed food allergies, are unlikely to benefit from this prevention approach.
What this research studies
If your baby develops dry skin or eczema within the first 10 weeks of life, researchers will invite you to join a randomized trial that compares proactive skin care to usual reactive care. Babies (about 750 total) will be randomly assigned 1:1 to receive scheduled trilipid emollients plus proactive low-dose topical steroids or to receive standard reactive treatment when flares occur. The team will follow participants over time to track eczema severity, duration, and whether food allergies develop. The goal is to reduce skin-driven allergen sensitization by improving the skin barrier early in life.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could reduce the number of young children who develop food allergies by preventing skin-based sensitization.
How similar studies have gone: Previous trials like LEAP and EAT showed early oral exposure can prevent peanut allergy and other work links eczema to allergy risk, while prior emollient-only prevention trials had mixed results, so this combined proactive approach is relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
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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.
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Stopping Atopic Dermatitis and Allergy: Preventing Food Allergy by Protecting the Skin
A large study in infants at high risk for allergies tests whether using a skin barrier cream together with early, proactive skin care can prevent peanut allergy and other food allergies.
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SEAL Study: Preventing peanut allergy by protecting baby skin
This trial tests whether using a skin-emollient and proactive skin steroids early in life can prevent peanut allergy in high-risk infants.
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SEAL Study: Prevent allergy by protecting the baby’s skin
A very young group of high-risk babies will try a early skin-care plan to reduce eczema and prevent peanut allergy.
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Preventing eczema-related allergies by strengthening infants' skin barrier
This project will see if using a trilipid skin cream plus proactive mild topical steroids in infants with early dry skin or eczema lowers their chances of developing food allergies.
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SEAL: Stopping eczema and allergy by protecting the skin in infants
A large clinical study in early infancy tests whether using a skin barrier cream together with a gentle anti-inflammatory cream can reduce the chance of developing food allergies.
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Preventing food allergies by protecting babies' skin
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.
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.