baked milk oral immunotherapy

Baked milk oral immunotherapy (BMOIT) is an investigational therapeutic approach for treating cow's milk allergy (CMA), particularly in children who can tolerate baked milk products. The therapy involves the gradual introduction and increasing consumption of milk protein that has been extensively heated (baked) in a food matrix, such as a muffin or cake. This heating process denatures conformational epitopes in milk proteins, particularly whey proteins like alpha-lactalbumin and beta-lactoglobulin, making them less allergenic for a subset of patients. BMOIT aims to induce immunological desensitization and potentially long-term tolerance by modulating the immune response, typically characterized by an increase in allergen-specific IgG4 levels and a decrease in allergen-specific IgE levels. Clinical research, including trials conducted at Johns Hopkins University (e.g., NCT03462030), has demonstrated that BMOIT is effective for cow's milk allergy and may also induce cross-desensitization to other mammalian milks, such as goat and sheep milk, due to protein homology.

Other names

baked milk OITbaked milk oral immunotherapy