In New Grants Awarded to Three Innovative Scientists, Food Allergy Research & Education Focuses on Novel Studies to Unravel Food Allergy Causes, Improve Treatments

More than $1 Million to Be Awarded for 2017 FARE Investigator in Food Allergy Awards

McLEAN, Va. (March 21, 2017) – Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE), the world’s largest private source of funding for food allergy research, is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2017 FARE Investigator in Food Allergy Awards after an extraordinarily competitive review process, with more than two dozen researchers submitting high-quality proposals.

The goal of the FARE Investigator in Food Allergy Awards is to expand the field of food allergy research by developing a diverse pool of highly trained scientists. These investigators will evolve into experts in biomedical, behavioral and clinical research that will help improve our understanding of food allergy.  They also will study potential treatments that will ultimately improve the lives of up to 15 million Americans living with this life-threatening disease. This year, FARE is awarding one early and two mid-career grants totaling more than $1 million. To date, FARE has invested approximately $90 million in food allergy research, including basic, clinical, epidemiology and quality of life studies.

“FARE’s unparalleled commitment to food allergy research is demonstrated once again through our support of these gifted scientists. They are working to address crucial unanswered questions and accelerate food allergy research,” said James R. Baker, Jr., M.D., CEO and chief medical officer of FARE. “Our Research Advisory Board was extremely pleased with the quality of the proposals and we are excited about the potential for breakthroughs from this research. This year, the projects that are being funded explore three unique areas that could be a cause of food allergy in different populations and provide insights toward targeted therapies.”

FARE congratulates the three recipients of the 2017 FARE Investigator in Food Allergy Awards listed below:

• Developing Strategies to Improve Oral Immunotherapy for Food Allergy - Edda Fiebiger, PhD, of Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School. Fiebiger, recipient of the New Investigator Award, will evaluate whether inhibiting enzymes active during allergic reactions might lead to better outcomes for oral immunotherapy.
• Immunoglobulin Glycosylation in Food Allergy and Oral Immunotherapy – Robert Anthony, PhD, of Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. Anthony, recipient of a Mid-Career Investigator Award, will examine the role of IgE glycosylation – the addition of sugar molecules to allergic proteins – in promoting or limiting allergic reactions.
• Role of Dock8 in Maintaining Tolerance to Food Antigens – Stephanie Eisenbarth, MD, PhD, of the Yale School of Medicine. Eisenbarth, recipient of a Mid-Career Investigator Award, is studying a unique, inherited predisposition to food allergies to understand the development of food allergies in the general population.

The New Investigator Award supports the development of an academic research career by providing $75,000 per year for salary support and laboratory expenses for two years for research conducted by individuals (MD, PhD, MD/PhD or DO) who have completed at least two years of research training and who do not have independent research funding.

Mid-Career Investigator Awards ($150,000 annually for up to three years) focus on established investigators holding the academic rank of Assistant Professor or Associate Professor, or the equivalent in non-academic research settings. These awards were presented to U.S. investigators who have proven themselves capable of performing cutting-edge research in other areas, but now want to transition to work in food allergy.

All award recipients were chosen through an open, competitive application process. Proposals were reviewed and selected by a FARE-organized, objective panel of distinguished scientists and biotechnology experts. Panelists affiliated with applicants’ institutions did not participate in any evaluations in their respective category.

The FARE Investigator in Food Allergy Awards are supported by generous donations from the Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Foundation and the Ira Riklis Family as well as an anonymous donor.  

For more information about food allergies and FARE’s programs, visit www.foodallergy.org.