FAAN-NIH Partnerships
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the largest U.S. government research funding agency, funding more than $29 billion in research each year.
FAAN has worked very closely with NIH over the years and continues to advocate for increased funding for food allergy research. FAAN continues to partner with NIH for important initiatives relating to food allergy.
In 2007, FAAN partnered with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and other organizations to support the Exploratory Investigations in Food Allergy program. Once again, FAAN will co-sponsor this NIH food allergy grant initiative, contributing $400,000 over the next two years. The purpose of this opportunity is to support high-impact and innovative research in food allergy. The first grants funded from this partnership were announced in June 2008. The NIAID (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases) announced the 12 investigators that received funding through this partnership. The total funding for these 12 projects was $5 million. The details of this partnership can be found on the NIAID website.
Additionally, FAAN has partnered with NIAID to support another important effort. The LEAP study (Learning Early About Peanut Allergy), led by Dr. Gideon Lack in the U.K., is a large-scale initiative to determine if peanut allergy can be prevented by avoiding or eating peanuts in early childhood. FAAN has committed $250,000 to support this project over the next five years. The results of this study will likely have an impact on food allergy prevention.
FAAN has a long history of working with NIH on initiatives important to improving the medical care of people with food allergy. For example, FAAN co-sponsored two symposiums with NIH on a universal definition of anaphylaxis to ensure its proper recognition and treatment. The findings published from those symposiums have been frequently cited in medical journals around the world.
Food allergy research is progressing, but there is so much more that needs to be done. We are thankful for NIH's efforts in food allergy research, and other initiatives that will improve the health care of people affected by food allergy, and we look forward to continuing to work with them on your behalf.
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