GREENSBORO, N.Carolina — Science may soon come to the rescue of the fast growing number of people who suffer from dangerous peanut allergies.

Scientists at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University say they've found a way to deactivate peanut allergens in the lab. Researcher Mohammed Ahmedna tells ABC News the allergen is removed through processing rather than through breeding.

While lab tests have been successful, there have been no human trials. And many leading American researchers say that even if human trials are successful, it would likely be several years before a so called safe peanut hit the market.

Meanwhile, researchers at the University of Florida are taking a different approach -- trying to grow a safe peanut that doesn't contain the three proteins that trigger most allergic reactions.

A breakthrough can not come soon enough. For reasons that scientists have yet to determine, peanut allergies, which can in some cases be fatal, have doubled to more than 600-thousand in the United States in the past five years.