A team of researchers from the University of Tel Aviv claims to have carried out a major advance in the treatment of eosinophilic esophagitis (EOE), a serious digestive disease considered as a food allergy.
Identified only since the early 1990s, this chronic pathology is today considered one of the main causes of diseases of the digestive system. It is currently affecting one in 2,500 in Western countries.
This new study reveals that blocking a specific protein called TSLP could prevent the development of the disease.
“Using unique murine models, we have completely neutralized the TSLP protein and blocked the harmful effects of the disease,” said Times of Israel Pr. Ariel MOUTZ, principal researcher at the Faculty of Medical Sciences and Health Graig of the University of Tel Aviv.
“By studying this disease in depth, we are able to understand the role played by various components of the immune system which could serve as targets for the future treatment of this disease, as well as other allergic disorders. »»
This research was carried out by doctoral student Anish Dsilva, Dr. Chen Varol from Ichilov Hospital, Pr. Marc Rothenberg of the Cincinnati children’s hospital and the Pharmaceutical Society Astrazeneca. The results were published at the start of the year in the journal Allergya reference in clinical immunology.
3D illustration of an eosinophilic white blood cell. (Credit: Wildpixel via ISTOCK by Getty Images)
Awareness of EOE
“EOE is a type of food allergy whose prevalence has increased in recent decades, and we want to raise public awareness about it,” said Mooitz.
This little -known disease affects the esophagus, the tube that transports food and mouth water to the stomach. People who suffer from it present chronic inflammation caused by an abnormal immune response from the body to certain foods, “mainly milk, eggs, wheat, nuts, fish and many others,” he explained.
The disease is characterized by an accumulation of a type of white blood cells, eosinophiles, which are generally not present in healthy esophagus.
Illustration: a woman suffering from intestinal infection, in her bathroom. (Credit: ISTOCK via Getty Images)
The EOE causes difficulty swallowing because the food remains stuck in the esophagus. Adults can experience chest and abdominal pain. In children, growth delays are observed and slow weight gain. Current treatments require to follow a restrictive diet. In serious cases, patients must follow a diet based on formulas containing essential amino acids.
The very first world day of Eosinophilian esophagitis took place on May 22, 2025. According to the organizers’ website, this day was launched in order to “highlight” the EOE, an “underdiagnosed immune disease”, and has brought together patient associations from around the world, including the United States, Australia, Italy, Austria, Serbia and Spain.
Why is there an increase in EOE cases?
According to MOUTZ, this increase would be due to three factors.
“We eat different foods, processed foods. In addition, we live in industrialized and polluted areas, where we breathe diesel exhaust gases that can cause multiple allergies, “he said.
“There is also evidence that certain products we use, including toothpaste, can induce modifications in certain types of cells in our body. »»
The second factor would, according to him, be “undoubtedly a genetic predisposition, a genetic component”. In the past, the disease was often underdiagnosed and confused with other conditions, such as gastroesophageal reflux.
Finally, there is the incapacity of the body’s immune system to adjust or restrict itself.
“Our immune system has been trained in millions of years of development to attack and destroy the foreign substances present in our body,” said MOUTZ.
“But to prevent this permanently from happening, the immune system is slowed down. »»
When our body no longer manages to regulate itself properly, it begins to tackle substances such as food.
“Why does our immune system react against food?” Why does it identify food particles as foreign substances? Asked Moo.
A man entering a McDonald’s Casher restaurant, in the city center of Jerusalem, April 13, 2016. (Credit: Nati Shohat/Flash90)
“When this immune response starts, the patient develops a very serious form of the disease. »»
Two proteins involved in the Eoe
There are two proteins in the body, the TSLP and the IL-33, which have been identified as “important regulators of several allergic diseases,” said MOUTZ.
“But what is their role in the EOE?” »»
One of the first things that researchers have been made was to establish a model of this disease in mice in which TSLP is blocked or neutralized. This model had been developed in previous research carried out in 2022.
“In humans, it is not possible to test the involvement of a protein without blocking it, and no one will block the TSLP as part of an experimental project,” he explained.
Scientists have used genetic engineering combined with antibodies responsible for defending cells against pathogens, which are the organizations responsible for diseases. They were able to examine the development of the disease in mice without IL-33, TSLP or the ability to respond to TSLP.
The results are final. Without IL-33, the disease continues its evolution almost as before.
“However, without the TSLP, the symptoms have improved so much so that the EOE did not develop,” said MOUTZ.
“Advanced genetic and computer analyzes have confirmed that TSLP is a key regulator of the disease. »»
There are currently several clinical trials that try to target TSLP in various allergic diseases, including EOE.
“Thus, if our hypotheses are correct, we believe that these clinical trials will be beneficial for these patients,” he said.
Pr. Ariel MUTZ (right) alongside doctoral students Anish Dsilva, in their laboratory of the Gray Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences at Tel Aviv University. (Credit: University of Tel Aviv)
He clarified that they generally worked on paths present both in mouse and in humans. “We can thus transpose these discoveries from the laboratory to the patient’s bedside, from research to clinical medicine,” he said.
“The world of medicine is increasingly moving towards specific targets thanks to biological drugs,” he noted.
“We need a much larger arsenal of tools for personalized medicine in order to treat each patient individually. »»
His team now wishes to “progress slowly but surely in understanding the process of these allergic diseases”.
“We know that TSLP is behind the disease. But what causes the secretion of TSLP? This is what we are currently working on. »»
Impact of BDS on Israeli research
Mountz said his research has earned him respect for his peers in the United States and Europe.
However, the staff of a Belgian institution refused to send the laboratory reagents necessary for their study, because they did not want to deal with Israel.
“If this happened only once last year, it’s once too much,” he said.
“It worries me, but we found the reagents elsewhere, we improvised and we did not get discouraged. »»
“We are very determined to continue and promote global health,” assured MOUTZ.
“This innovation and this determination are part of our strength. »»