FARE to Convene Unprecedented Gathering of Clinicians, Researchers at MIT for Inaugural Mind Meld Innovation Summit
Landmark event to identify research priorities toward a food allergy cure; substantial funding opportunity to follow
McLEAN, Va. — May 12, 2025 — FARE (Food Allergy Research & Education) today announced it will convene an unprecedented gathering of clinicians and researchers for the inaugural ‘Mind Meld Innovation Summit’ to be held May 13–14 at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The landmark meeting will bring together a group of multidisciplinary scientists across institutions, breaking down research silos to accelerate innovation toward a cure.
As an outcome of the event, FARE will release a substantial funding opportunity for one or more multi-institutional teams of investigators based on areas of focus explored during the Summit.
"This gathering is more than a conference—it's the catalyst to identifying avenues toward curing food allergy,” said Sung Poblete, PhD, RN, CEO of FARE. “For decades, patients and families have waited, watching scientific research drive innovation for other diseases, while new interventions for the food allergy community have been few and infrequently added. That is shifting, because patients can't wait anymore. FARE is leading with a sense of urgency, bringing together the premier minds in food allergy and adjacent disciplines to create opportunities for breakthroughs and investigations, which FARE plans to support by deploying research funding. Breaking down research silos is good for everyone, and we're so proud to organize this convening."
More than 33 million people in the United States and more than 220 million people worldwide live with the disease of food allergy, a growing public health concern with no known cure.
The invitation-only event is co-chaired by Nobel laureate Phillip A. Sharp, PhD, professor emeritus, MIT and special advisor to FARE; M. Cecilia Berin, PhD, professor at Northwestern University; and Corinne Keet, MD, PhD, professor at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
The Mind Meld Innovation Summit is modeled after an approach first developed to advance new approaches to treat cancer, scaled and then executed by Sharp and Poblete through their work with nonprofit organization, Stand Up To Cancer.
FARE expects to release a Request for Application (RFA) in the weeks following the Mind Meld Innovation Summit. For more information, visit www.foodallergy.org.
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About FARE (Food Allergy Research & Education)
FARE (Food Allergy Research & Education) is the leading nonprofit organization that empowers the food allergy patient across their journey of managing the disease. FARE delivers innovation by focusing on three strategic pillars—advocacy, research, and education. FARE’s initiatives accelerate the future of food allergy through effective policies and legislation, novel strategies toward prevention, diagnosis, treatment and a cure, while building awareness and community. To learn more, visit FoodAllergy.org.