By Kathy Walsh

DENVER (CBS4) – A new study shows promise for children with peanut allergies.

A wearable skin patch may help children who are allergic to peanuts by delivering small doses of peanut protein. Doctors at National Jewish Health took part in the research. The idea is to make patients less allergic, desensitize them to peanut.

Researchers say the study looks promising and has potential, but they caution the patch is not a cure.

CBS4 Health Specialist Kathy Walsh first learned about the study in 2011. She met then teenager Alex Sturgis who had been wary of peanuts for as long as he can remember.

“If I even eat one little bit of peanut and I swallow it my throat can close up,” Sturgis said.

The teenager was taking part in a two-week safety study at National Jewish Health. Every day he wore a tiny disc carrying increasing amounts of peanut protein.

Now, after a year of actual clinical trials, researchers found nearly half of those treated with the patch could eat 10 times more peanut than before.

“Ten times more peanut, actually for a lot of these patients, is less than actually one peanut, so these are not kids who can go out and eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich,” said Pediatric Allergist Dr. Christine Cho of National Jewish Health for Kids.

Cho says the therapy trains the immune system to tolerate small amounts of peanut.

Children aged 4 to 11 had the best response to the patch. It had less effect on those aged 12 and older. Cho says the treatment could help prevent a reaction from a very small exposure.

“It’s definitely not a cure, but I think it gives us a lot of information,” said Cho.

Cho cautions researchers need to look at long-term results to see if the patch is truly beneficial.

Kathy Walsh is CBS4’s Weekend Anchor and Health Specialist. She has been with CBS4 for more than 30 years. She is always open to story ideas. Follow Kathy on Twitter @WalshCBS4.