Peanut allergy scare inspired life-saving idea

As a child, Zak Marks had a severe allergic reaction after eating toast that contained traces of peanut butter.

He wrote a note in his phone to "redesign the adrenaline pen" after he found carrying the medication "cumbersome" and it "expired quickly".

He developed the idea during his final year studying industrial design at Loughborough University, creating a wall-mounted anaphylaxis kit equipped with emergency adrenaline pens.

Since launching in 2023, more than 125,000 people have been trained to respond to severe allergic reactions and the kit has been used to treat more than 50 life-threatening allergic reactions across the UK.

Anaphylaxis can be fatal and develop suddenly at any age.

People who know they are at risk should always carry two adrenaline pens which they, or someone else, can administer in an emergency.

In addition, people at risk of an anaphylactic reaction should regularly check the contents of their adrenaline pens have not expired. They should see a pharmacist to get a new one if a pen is close to expiring.

Zak said: "I've lived with severe food allergies since I was a child, so I know what it's like to have to carry adrenaline pens everywhere you go.

"But the pens are bulky, easy to forget and can expire, so even people who know they have a severe allergy may not have one with them when they need it."

Zak graduated in 2020 with the concept and met his co-founder James Cohen. They began a pilot in seven schools the following year.

"Anaphylaxis can happen unexpectedly to people who have never experienced it before, meaning they may not have an adrenaline pen of their own," he said.

"I had written in my phone notes from way back when I was a kid to 'redesign the adrenaline pen'.

"So, deep down, I'd always known it was a problem I wanted to try to solve, and my university course gave me the opportunity to do that."

His invention, called the Anaphylaxis Kitt, has been created so the adrenaline pens inside are regularly replaced and are always ready to be used.

"It basically put adrenaline pens in a glorified briefcase on the wall in a couple of schools," said Zak. "We used that to raise some funding and then officially launched in 2023."

The pair appeared on BBC's Dragons' Den in 2025, securing a £75,000 investment from Deborah Meaden and Steven Bartlett.

The kits have been used to treat life-threatening allergic reactions in both adults and children.

One of the people it has helped is teacher and allergy sufferer Billie-Jo Button, who suffered a severe allergic reaction while at work.

She started feeling lightheaded and unwell, following exposure to an unknown substance and her symptoms worsened until she was struggling to breath, whilst her ears and nose swelled up.

After using her own EpiPen, her condition did not improve.

With paramedics still about 20 minutes away, the nurse school used one of the kits.

Billie-Jo continued to deteriorate and lost consciousness, but was given a third dose of adrenaline, CPR and staff used a defibrillator.

"Having the Anaphylaxis Kitt at the school was a daily reminder I was being kept safe. On that day when I needed it most, it was the thing that saved my life," she said.

"It was the difference between me being able to see my children and my husband planning my funeral.

"I'm incredibly grateful."

Professor Rebecca Cain, dean of the university's School of Design and Creative Arts, said Zak's story was "a wonderful example of the impact that can begin with a student project".

"Our students become experts in using design to respond to real-world challenges, and it is fantastic to see an idea that began here at Loughborough develop into something that is now making such a tangible difference to people's lives."

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