San Antonio Express-News (Internet / Print) 12/30/05
Cedar is the most common local cause of allergies, second only to ragweed. One in five Texans endure the often-severe allergic reaction to cedar pollen. Sufferers typically find symptomatic relief from antihistamines, nasal steroids and multiple injections of pure, sterile cedar extract allergy shots. But researchers continue searching for other remedies. Dr. Randall Goldblum at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston is working with Baylor University botanist Robert Adams on a vaccine for cedar fever. The duo is growing trees in hopes of finding one that makes pollen that won't bind to antibodies in sufferers' immune systems. That pollen would then be used in a vaccine.