New Horizons in the Prevention and Treatment of Food Allergy

Leadership Center Summary/Abstract Food allergy research has increased dramatically over the past 20-years, in large part to the efforts of CoFAR. New approaches for both treatment and prevention have been introduced, as have the understanding of the immunologic basis of food allergy. The overarching goal of the research agenda proposed in this application is

to maintain CoFAR's position as an international leader in the study of food allergy, including optimal characterization of the disease and development of the next generation of treatments ad prevention. The research agenda will be based first and foremost on the best possible science, but to maximize productivity we

will also need to plan judiciously so that all available resources can be used to their utmost capacity. Therefore, the research agenda will need to carefully select and stage protocols based not just on their potential to advance the field, but also with careful consideration regarding other novel treatments that may be under development,

and how one study may inform the next. Finally, the overall research strategy will need to work in unison with the NIAID, the SACCC and each CRC in the consortium. This overall agenda will be accomplished through the following major components: 1) To implement a leadership team capable of providing optimal administration of the Consortium, including financial, operational, and

managerial aspects, as well as protocol development and implementation, data collection and analysis, and publications and presentations, with judicious financial management. Dr. Robert Wood will lead this team, with co-PIs Drs. Scott Sicherer and Supinda Bunyavanich. The team will include experts in clinical trials as well as

the laboratory study of food allergy. The team will also include a financial administrator as well as a highly experienced grants management group at Johns Hopkins. The leadership team will work closely with the NIAID and SACCC, together providing day-to-day management of all clinical operations within the consortium. 2) To

develop the necessary committee structure to guide and implement the Consortium's administrative and clinical operations. 3) To develop a structure of financial management that will make optimal use of all CoFAR funds and resources. 4) To integrate the Biomarker Facility into each clinical protocol.

It is anticipated that a minimum of 2 major protocols, including both clinical trials and non-interventional studies, will be initiated and completed over the seven-year funding period, and this could rise to 4 or even 5 protocols depending on the size, duration, and complexity of each study. If successful, this research agenda will define

not just the next 7-years of CoFAR, but will also establish the platform for the next decade(s) of food allergy research.