From our Center

Advances in Immunotherapy for Multiple Food Allergens: Research Partnership with UCLA

About 40% of children with food allergies have multiple allergies. Recently published study results of OIT in multi-allergic patients are promising, but we continue to have important questions regarding durability of desensitization. To better answer some of these questions, we have partnered with UCLA to conduct a multi-OIT trial with omalizumab. 

Research Collaboration with Mayo Clinic's Arizona Campus: Working Together on a Cure for Eosinophilic Esophagitis 

In order to understand the associations between food allergies, OIT, and EoE, the Center is collaborating with Drs. Matthew Rank and Benjamin Wright of Mayo Clinic’s Arizona Campus. Both research teams are very excited about working together to better understand EoE.

Using CRISPR Technology for Allergy and Asthma

A new collaboration with Integrated DNA Technologies (IDT) to use their CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing technology and the Alt-R® Human Kinase Library may enable discovery of new druggable targets for allergy.

The Sean N. Parker Center for Allergy and Asthma Research at Stanford University was honored to host the 2nd Annual State of the Center Forum

On April 26, 2018, the Center was honored to host the 2nd Annual State of the Center Forum for the community - including patients, parents and clinicians. Dr. Kari Nadeau, Dr. Tina Sindher, Dr. Stephen Galli, Dr. Nielsen Fernandez-Becker, Marté Matthews, Andrew Long and Whitney Block provided the audience with in-depth presentations on allergy, asthma and related GI disorders. The talks included discussion of recent food allergy results, emerging diagnostics, Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EoE), coping with the emotional impact of food allergy, potential biologics and therapies, and recruiting trials.

In Conversation: Mary Prunicki, MD, PhD, NIH Career Re-entry Scientist

We are very fortunate to have Dr. Prunicki working towards understanding the effects of air pollution on allergy and asthma and overall immune health. Her daughters' food allergies positively impacted her career path more than she anticipated.

Drug Increases Speed, Safety of Treatment for Multiple Food Allergies

Combining an antibody drug, omalizumab, with a procedure to desensitize children to multiple food allergies is safe and effective, according to a new study by Center researchers, published online Dec. 11 in The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology.

THE SEAN N. PARKER CENTER FOR ALLERGY AND ASTHMA RESEARCH AT STANFORD UNIVERSITY IS DESIGNATED A WORLD ALLERGY ORGANIZATION CENTER OF EXCELLENCE

In November 2017, the World Allergy Organization (WAO) designated the Sean N. Parker Center for Allergy and Asthma Research Center at Stanford University a WAO Center of Excellence. 

Expanding Access to the Underserved

The burden of asthma and allergy disproportionately affects those at a lower economic status deepening existing inequities. Although ethnicity and genetics explain some of the differences in asthma and allergy prevalence and severity among populations, socioeconomic factors seem to explain most of these differences. Through generous contributions from those who share our vision, the Center has been able to initiate and implement a number of programs for the underserved.

In Conversation: Dr. Sayantani (Tina) Sindher and Tips on Antihistamine Use

We welcome Dr. Tina Sindher to the Sean N. Parker Center for Allergy & Asthma Research at Stanford University. She joined our team in January 2017 and is very excited about expanding her clinical research in food allergies at the Center. She also has important advice to share regarding antihistamine use in patients with food allergies.

Julia and David Koch Make Visionary $10 Million Gift to Establish New Clinical Research Unit for Allergy and Asthma at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford and the Sean N. Parker Center for Allergy and Asthma Research at Stanford University

On February 15, 2017, Julia and David Koch announced a generous gift of $10 million to establish a new unit at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford for clinical research. The unit will operate within the Sean N. Parker Center for Allergy and Asthma Research at Stanford University, which is home to the groundbreaking allergy and asthma clinical trials led by Kari Nadeau, MD, PhD.

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine release comprehensive report on Food Allergy

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine convened an expert, ad hoc committee to examine critical issues related to food allergy. The resulting report, released on November 30, 2016, Finding a Path to Safety in Food Allergy: Assessment of the Global Burden, Causes, Prevention, Management, and Public Policy, collects and evaluates the scientific evidence on the prevalence, origins, diagnosis, prevention, and management of food allergy and makes recommendations to policy makers, industry leaders, and others to bring about a safe environment for those with food allergy.

Wheat Hypersensitivities

Celiac disease, wheat allergy, and non-celiac wheat sensitivity are different diseases associated with wheat consumption. Wheat allergy and celiac disease are both immune disorders; however, celiac disease differs from wheat allergy in that it is an autoimmune disorder. Learn more about about the differences between these three wheat hypersensitivities.

In Conversation: Marté Matthews, Consulting Family Therapist

Marté discusses her background, her thoughts on the psychological impact of food allergies on participants and families, and her role as a therapist in assisting with emotional issues surrounding food allergies.

Inspired to End Allergies Together 

Driven to find a cure for their children's food allergies, Kim Hall and Elise Bates started End Allergies Together (E•A•T) in 2015, a nonprofit organization solely dedicated to accelerating new treatments and solutions through funding food allergy research. Kim Hall discusses her family's experiences dealing with her daughter's life-threatening food allergies, the mission and vision of E•A•T, and her hopes of eventually finding a cure.

Is OIT Ready for Private Practice? — Three Perspectives

Oral immunotherapy is currently being evaluated in clinical trials at the Center as a promising treatment for desensitization of individuals with food allergies. Christine Patel, a parent of a child with food allergies, spoke with three San Francisco Bay Area allergists to get their perspectives on this promising new therapy.

In Conversation: Dr. Sharon Chinthrajah

Dr. Chinthrajah is Director of the Clinical Translational Research Unit at the Center and oversees all clinical trials, sees patients, teaches fellows, and is an investigator on a number of clinical trials at the Center.

In Conversation: Andrew Long, PharmD

As the Lead Investigational Drug Pharmacist at the Center, Andrew works hard behind-the-scenes to ensure safe and appropriate use of the drugs used in our innovative treatments. He is excited to be working at the forefront of food allergy research alongside some of the best and brightest researchers in the field of food allergy.

Hartman Family Foundation Challenge grant Matched

We met our match! We are thrilled to announce that we have raised $1.2 million to meet our challenge grant from the Hartman Family Foundation. Through the generous 1-to-1 match from Kim and Alan Hartman's Foundation and so many other generous donors, we raised a total of $2.4 million to directly support this major step to making a food allergy “vaccine” a reality.

Read more about Kim and Alan Hartman's inspiring support of the Center and Dr. Kari Nadeau's research.

In Conversation: Dr. Kari Nadeau

The Center has made great strides in understanding and treating allergies. Dr. Kari Nadeau, Director of the Sean N. Parker Center for Allergy and Asthma Research, discusses the Center's recent accomplishments, its mission, and her vision for the Center.

In Conversation: Dr. Mark Nicolls

Dr. Mark Nicolls, Chief of the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine (PCCM), welcomes the Sean N. Parker Center for Allergy and Asthma Research into the Division. He discusses what this integration means to the Center and to PCCM.

Twins — Double the Hope

Identical twins, Anjali and Anushka, are juniors in high school who have completed the multiple food allergy oral immunotherapy trial with Xolair. Josh and Sam, 6-year-old fraternal twins, are still undergoing therapy for multiple food allergies. Twins assist us with research and enable us to understand the role of genetics and environmental factors in allergies and asthma. 

The Allergy-Asthma Connection

Common allergic diseases include atopic dermatitis (eczema), allergic rhinitis (hay fever), food allergies, and allergic asthma. Interestingly, There is a natural progression of allergic disease from eczema and food allergies to asthma and hay fever. This disease progression is often termed the "Allergic March." 

An Intern's Perspective: Bryan Bunning

"As a lab intern, I've had the chance to hear speeches from the world's leading allergy researchers. The Center is world-renowned, having ties to other doctors in Israel, Switzerland, the UK, and all around the United States. As a food-allergic person, it is both amazing and fascinating to hear what research has been done in the field of allergy."

In Collaboration: Dr. Ruchi Gupta

The Center partners with leading allergy researchers from all over the world to advance a cure for allergy and asthma. In this interview, Dr. Gupta discusses her research with the Center, her work with schools, teens and young adults in the allergy community, and more.

In Conversation: Whitney Block, NP

Get to know our clinical research nurse practitioner and Food Allergy Research and Education (FARE) Center of Excellence lead study coordinator, Whitney Block. Whitney works with participants from all the studies at the Center. She says, "It's fun to work with patients every step of the way—from screening until follow-up!"

Center Named a FARE Clinical Network Center of Excellence

This newly established network aims to accelerate the development of drugs for patients with food allergies, as well as, improve the quality of care for this serious disorder. FARE Clinical Network members will serve as sites for clinical trials for the development of new therapeutics and will develop best practices for the care of patients with food allergies.

Eosinophilic Esophagitis 

When 14-year old Cole began to regularly complain that he was having difficulty swallowing during meals, his mother sensed something was wrong. Foods he never had trouble with before, like steak, were suddenly getting stuck in his throat causing him to gag. 15-year old Lowell’s symptoms came on rapidly at the age of 10. He started to vomit a lot, until the frequency quickly reached at least once a day. “Looking back, the reflux he was diagnosed with at age 2, was most likely related,” says his mother.

With Gratitude

On May 15, 2015 at the historic Carolands Chateau, the Lucile Packard Foundation hosted a celebration in honor of Kari Nadeau, MD, PhD and the establishment of the Sean N. Parker Center for Allergy Research at Stanford University.

Tips on Traveling with Food Allergies

As we prepare for summer, travel plans for food allergic individuals can be particularly daunting. In this post, Lianne Mandelbaum — food allergy writer and founder of the No Nut Traveler — shares valuable safety tips on flying with food allergies. 

It Takes a Village: Rallying Support to Cure Food Allergies

As Annie started in a clinical trial at Stanford, the Carells’ hopes were modest. “Our dream was that she could come out of an accidental exposure to dairy without serious consequences,” notes Nancy. “We weren’t thinking, ‘I hope she can eat pizza.’ We were thinking, ‘Maybe now she can hold hands with somebody who just ate pizza.’”

A Catalytic Investment in Allergy Research: Q&A with Sean Parker 

"I believe we are relatively close to a point where all allergies can be cured, and that’s why I’m committed to supporting Dr. Nadeau and her research through a catalytic grant to conduct trials at levels capable of moving the entire field forward."

In Profile: Stephen Galli, MD, Department Chair, Pathology

Dr. Stephen Galli had been lecturing for many years on allergy and asthma, but it wasn’t until he came across his nut-allergic colleague vomiting and subsequently collapsing in the hall of Stanford’s Pathology Department, that he had his first personal experience with anaphylaxis and the “magic,” as he puts it, of epinephrine.

Sean N. Parker Pledges $24 Million to Launch Allergy Center at Stanford

Silicon Valley entrepreneur and philanthropist Sean Parker is establishing a new research center at Stanford University School of Medicine in the hope of propelling innovation in allergy research. 

Better Blood Tests

When our son Kieran was a baby, my husband and I learned about most of his allergies the scary way. The first time we fed him a nibble of cheese, his face blew up and he began wheezing and gasping for breath and had to be hospitalized.

Jeff and MacKenzie Bezos Extend a $2.25 Million Challenge Grant to Fund Innovative Clinical Food Allergy Research at Stanford

Groundbreaking food allergy research at Stanford University School of Medicine and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford has received a major boost through the creation of a challenge grant by Jeff and MacKenzie Bezos. Severe food allergies are a growing epidemic, with rates having doubled in the last decade. One out of every 13 children is affected, and over 30 percent are thought to have allergies to more than one food.

Asthma Drug Aids Simultaneous Desensitization to Several Food Allergies, Study Finds

An asthma drug accelerates the process of desensitizing patients with food allergies to several foods at the same time, a new study by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford shows.

DNA of Peanut-allergic Kids Changes with Immune Therapy

Treating a peanut allergy with oral immunotherapy changes the DNA of the patient’s immune cells, according to a new study from the Stanford University School of Medicine and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford. The DNA change could serve as the basis for a simple blood test to monitor the long-term effectiveness of the allergy therapy.

In Conversation: Tina Dominguez 

One of the closest relationships patients develop when they participate in a clinical trial at the Sean N. Parker Center for Allergy Research at Stanford University is with Physician Assistant Tina Dominguez. 

Study: Drug Plus Dairy Treats Dangerous Milk Allergy

Pediatrician Kari Nadeau, MD, PhD, is using small doses of milk to desensitize children who are allergic to dairy products.

New Treatment May Desensitize Kids with Milk Allergies, Say Researchers

In a small clinical study, immunologists and allergists at Children’s Hospital Boston and the Stanford University School of Medicine report effectively desensitizing milk-allergic patients by increasing their exposure to milk in tandem with an allergy drug called omalizumab, allowing children to build up resistance quickly with limited allergic reactions.