The Food Allergy Fund (FAF) is the leading nonprofit dedicated to funding food allergy research. FAF’s grants support the development of new treatments that address the root causes of food allergies, and through their groundbreaking research and unique thought leadership summits, they accelerate innovation to find solutions.
Today, FAF announced four new research projects, each moving us closer to a future without food allergies:
Utilizing AI and wearable technology to make food challenges safer and inform biomarker discovery
Dr Mary Grace Baker and Dr Hugh Sampson (Mount Sinai) are working to make oral food challenges (OFCs) safer for children by using a wearable smartwatch and AI to detect subtle physiological changes that signal the early onset of anaphylaxis. They are using this data to develop tools that support earlier intervention and improve the safety and accuracy of allergy testing.
Discovering new immune pathways
Dr David A Hill (Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia) and his team have discovered a surprising immune pathway in eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE): a typically non-allergic cytokine, interferon gamma, disrupts the function of protective regulatory B cells. This breakthrough challenges conventional thinking and could pave the way for entirely new treatment strategies, translating cutting-edge science into real-world care.
Expanding FAF fecal transplant work to leverage metabolomics and metagenomics for the first time
Dr Rima Rachid (Boston Children’s Hospital) and her team are building on their FAF-funded research that shows oral fecal transplants can reduce allergic reactions. They are now working to uncover which gut bacteria and metabolomic pathways drive this response, leveraging metabolomics and metagenomics to bring us closer to targeted, microbiome-based food allergy treatments.
Evaluating co-morbidities to inform earlier diagnosis and comprehensive care
Dr Christopher Warren (Northwestern University) has uncovered compelling evidence linking food allergies to conditions such as EoE (eosinophilic esophagitis) and FPIES (food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome) — long suspected by families. His research paves the way for earlier diagnoses and more comprehensive care.
To support this work and others, visit the Food Allergy Fund. 100% of donations go directly toward researching treatments and a cure for food allergies.
