Inadequate Protein Dosing Raises Pediatric Allergy Risks

Case Overview

This case involves multiple children who were administered food products manufactured to potentially lower the risks of developing food allergies later in life. Allegations have emerged that several of these products contained only minuscule amounts of food proteins, which may have undergone denaturation, raising serious concerns about their efficacy. The plaintiff is seeking expert insight from a specialist in allergy and immunology, particularly one with experience in pediatric food allergies and familiarity with recent studies such as the EAT (Early Allergy Prevention), LEAP (Learning Early About Peanut Allergy), and PETIT (Peanut Allergy Prevention with a Snack) trials. The goal is to examine the records related to these products and determine the implications of inadequate protein dosages on the children's health outcomes.

Questions to the Allergy and Immunology expert and their responses

How often do you evaluate and manage pediatric patients for potential food allergies?

I am board-certified in allergy and immunology and have been a practicing physician since 1984. I routinely evaluate and treat patients with suspected food allergies, including oral food challenges to various food substances.

Generally, how do food protein dosages affect the success rate of preventing the development of food allergies for pediatric patients?

It would be difficult to predict the likelihood of success to a protein desensitization protocol without seeing the dosages, route of administration, build-up schedule, and data demonstrating not only changes in lab values BUT the ability to avoid anaphylaxis when challenged with the food. This last point is very important: the goal of inducing tolerance is not changes in lab value but the ability to protect the patient against accidental ingestion which causes anaphylaxis.

About the expert

This expert has over 25 years of experience in the field of allergy and immunology. He earned his BS in philosophy and physics from Rutgers University and his MA in philosophy science from the University of Minnesota, followed by his MD from the University of Minnesota School of Medicine. He then completed a residency in pediatrics at the University of California, Los Angeles, a fellowship in immunology at the NIH-NIAID's Laboratory of Immunology, and a second fellowship in allergy and immunology at the Duke Medical Center. Today, this expert is board certified in allergy and immunology. He is a member of several professional organizations, including the American Association of Immunology, the American Association of Cancer Research, and the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology. He is also very active in academia, having published over 30 peer-reviewed journal articles. Moreover, he has presented locally, nationally, and internationally on topics related to allergy, asthma, and immunology. Previously, this expert was a senior research associate of molecular genetics and microbiology at the Duke Medical Center, the vice chairman of surgery research at the University of Missouri, the chief of allergy-immunology at the Harry S. Truman Veterans Hospital, and the director of the MD-PhD program at the University of Missouri School of Medicine. Currently, he is a professor of surgery, molecular microbiology, and immunology at a university in Missouri as well as the chief of allergy-immunology at a major VA hospital and an associate professor of internal medicine at a top medical school in Michigan.

E-583662

Specialties:

Allergy and Immunology

Celia Guo is the Vice President of Multidisciplinary Research at Expert Institute. With a background rooted in public policy and criminal justice, Celia brings a wealth of experience in data-driven legal analysis. Prior to joining The Expert Institute, she conducted research for the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, focusing on drug diversion cases, and collaborated with the American Civil Liberties Union to analyze officer-involved shootings in Fresno, California. Her policy advocacy work also includes lobbying with the Drug Policy Alliance for the RISE Act, aimed at reforming sentencing enhancements for minor drug offenses.

Celia holds a B.A. in Political Science from Loyola Marymount University and an M.P.P. from the University of Southern California. She combines her policy expertise with a passion for justice to lead a dynamic research team that supports litigation strategy across a wide range of practice areas.