Georgia Researchers Test New Microneedle Treatment for Peanut Allergies

A new experimental treatment being tested in Georgia could offer people with peanut allergies a simpler way to build protection against accidental exposure.

According to GPB, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta is leading a multi-site clinical trial evaluating a microneedle stamp that delivers tiny amounts of peanut allergen through the outer layers of the skin. Researchers hope the approach will safely train the immune system while avoiding the need for patients to consume peanuts during treatment.

The device was developed by Atlanta-based biotech company Moonlight Therapeutics after its founders completed postdoctoral research at Georgia Tech. The FDA cleared the technology for its first human clinical trial in late 2025.

Company President and CEO Samir Patel said the stamp is minimally invasive, worn for just three minutes and is designed with the goal of eventually being used at home.

The study is enrolling adults to determine whether the microneedle technology is less painful than injections and more effective than existing skin patches at improving the body’s immune response to peanut allergens.

Dr. Brian Vickery, chief of Allergy and Immunology at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and the trial’s principal investigator, said the technology allows researchers to deliver a highly controlled dose of allergen, addressing a challenge seen with some previous immunotherapy treatments.

If the trial proves successful, researchers hope to expand testing to adolescents and eventually younger children. With thousands of children in metro Atlanta living with peanut allergies, investigators say the research could lay the groundwork for a new treatment option that is easier to administer and more accessible for families.