Development of a peanut allergy treatment for adults using microneedles

Moonlight Therapeutics, Inc. received a $3.31 million Project Grant from the Defense Health Agency under the Military Medical Research and Development program (CFDA 12.420) effective July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2028. The award supports the development of TASIS-Peanut (Targeted Allergen Specific Immunotherapy within the Skin), a novel microneedle-based treatment for peanut allergies in adults. The company will advance this innovative allergen immunotherapy technology through research and development activities including pre-clinical studies, manufacturing scale-up of microneedle stamp technology, and clinical trials to evaluate safety and tolerability of the treatment approach.

The project addresses a significant unmet medical need by developing a minimally invasive microneedle delivery system that administers allergens into the top skin layers to desensitize allergic patients and potentially reduce anaphylactic shock risk. Moonlight Therapeutics, a minority-owned firm based in Marietta, Georgia, specializes in food allergy treatments and has previously received federal support from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the Department of the Army Medical Command. The technology platform has potential applications for treating multiple food allergies simultaneously, with relevance to both military personnel and the broader civilian population.