Nancy and Tse Wen Chang and their Houston company, Tanox Biosystems Inc., appear to be front-runners in this first leg of a race to create a drug that will stop an allergy attack before it starts. Such a drug would be devastating to the current $500 million United States market for over-the-counter medications to stop the sneezing, dripping, and itching of allergies. It would mean former sufferers could, if they wished, picnic in fields of ragweed.
Microbiologist, heal thyself. That variation on the old physician's saw could well be the working credo of a couple trying to design the ultimate cure for the allergies that cause them to sniffle their lives away in the laboratory. Nancy and Tse Wen Chang may be the best team to conquer this problem. They both suffer from allergies, and they both have earned high praise from their mentors and colleagues. Harvard Medical School professor ...
