I had the privilege of attending the Food Allergy Fund (FAF) Leadership Forum in Washington, DC, yesterday. Ilana Golant, FAF’s CEO and a dedicated champion for food allergy research and therapies, assembled an outstanding group of scientific leaders along with heads of US government health agencies. Unfortunately, the event also left me with serious concerns.
The forum initially focused on cutting-edge science related to the microbiome. The speakers included leading researchers such as Dr Rima Rachid, Director of the Food Allergy Program at Boston Children’s Hospital; Dr Nikole Kimes, CEO of Siolta Therapeutics; and Dr Carlotta Ronda, a Principal Investigator at UC Berkeley’s Innovative Genomics Institute.
The focus then shifted to novel therapies and technologies. We heard from Dr Brian Wong of RAPT Therapeutics about new IgE monoclonal antibodies, and from Michael Nelson of Intrommune Therapeutics, who is developing a toothpaste-based oral immunotherapy. Tal Golan of Anjo.ai presented his company’s work on a wearable device for early detection of allergic reactions. The forum also featured Dr Alicia Jackson, CEO of ARPA-H, an initiative by the US government to accelerate innovations in health, and the Directors of the NIH and NIAID, and the Commissioner of the FDA.
This atmosphere of scientific rigor was suddenly marred by the appearance of Robert F Kennedy Jr, the Secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services, head of the nation’s leading health agency, who has no training in medicine or public health.
While claiming his administration would restore the “gold standard of science,” Kennedy devolved into a rambling presentation of his personal, debunked conspiracy theories. He baselessly speculated that autism and food allergies are caused by the same root phenomenon and, most dangerously, implicated aluminum adjuvants in vaccines as a cause of food allergies, a claim that has been decisively disproven by extensive, large-scale studies.
I applaud Ilana Golant’s necessary efforts to engage the administration to secure increased funding, but we must acknowledge the clear and present danger. Secretary Kennedy’s willingness to promote scientifically bankrupt personal beliefs at this forum is not just embarrassing; it suggests that crucial food allergy research funding is now at risk of being diverted and targeted based on his profound scientific biases.
Dave Bloom
CEO SnackSafely.com
