Dear Friend,
Oral immunotherapy (OIT) has shown great promise in desensitizing individuals with food allergies. As OIT protocols move towards larger scale phase III clinical trials, the possibility of OIT being approved by the FDA as a treatment option is on the horizon. In this latest issue of our Center eNews, one food allergy parent interviewed three San Francisco Bay Area allergists to delve into the layered question of whether OIT is ready for private practice.
While OIT protocols focus on desensitizing individuals with food allergies, many of our trial participants also have other allergic diseases, such as asthma. Adult patient Chad shares his story as a study participant with asthma and the effect the trial has had on his life. Patients like Chad help us better determine whether OIT — in addition to desensitizing to the food allergen —also improves asthma outcomes.
Our Center is run by dedicated staff who are passionate about their work. In this issue, we talked with Dr. Sharon Chinthrajah, Director of Clinical Translational Research at the Center to understand her many roles as physician, teacher, and researcher. We also talked with Andrew Long, the Lead Investigational Drug Pharmacist at the Center who works tirelessly to ensure safe and appropriate use of the drugs used in our innovative treatments. Both Sharon and Andrew are excited to be working at the forefront of food allergy research and seeing first-hand the impact our treatments have on our patients and their families.
Enjoy the photos from our largest community event of the year, the 6th Annual Summer Scamper. And read more about latest research advancements, counseling now available to all of our trial participants and their families, specific research to be funded by a grant from E•A•T, and a generous challenge grant from enabling donors to double their impact in the fight to cure food allergies.
Please share this issue with family and friends and encourage others to join the efforts of our Center in finding ways to prevent and cure allergies and asthma.
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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. Read article. |
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Patient Profile: Chad's Story
 Chad has had food allergies since early childhood. He has also been diagnosed with moderate asthma. Eleven months into his clinical trial, he talks about how the treatment has already made a big difference in his life and how he no longer lives in constant fear of accidental ingestion of peanuts. Read article. |
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Staff Profile: 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. Read article. |
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Staff Profile: 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. Read article. |
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On June 19, 2016 our community came out in force to support the Center at the 6th Annual Summer Scamper. Patients, Center staff and community supporters walked, ran, fund-raised and celebrated together, raising nearly $50,000 to help find the causes and cures for allergies and asthma. Check out photos from the fun day. |
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Research Advancements
Read Stanford's latest allergy and asthma research advancements, compiled by Center medical writer Vanitha Sampath.
Xolair approved for use in children age 6-11 with asthma
Novartis announced on July 7, 2016 that Xolair (omalizumab) has been approved by the FDA for use in children age 6-11 with persistent asthma. This is an important step forward for pediatric patients.
Child & Family Counseling
To better meet the needs of the children, teens, adults and families in all of our clinical trials (past and present), we have a family therapist available for consultations at our center. Marté J. Matthews, MA, MFT can be reached Mondays & Fridays 10 am to 1 pm at (408) 887-7133 or by email at martem@stanford.edu. Marté and her vital role at the Center will be profiled in our next issue .
Double Your Impact and Help Launch a "Vaccine" Study
We are thrilled to announce an opportunity to double your impact in the fight to cure food allergies by supporting first-of-its-kind Food Allergy “Vaccine†Research. For a limited-time, donations will be matched one-to-one by a generous $1.2 million challenge grant from the Hartman Foundation to specifically bring a food allergy “vaccine†one step closer to reality. Your support will help launch a new study led by Dr. Kari Nadeau, with the potential to bring lasting change to the lives of millions of children and adults facing food allergies. Read More.
E•A•T Grant Awarded
On May 26, 2016, End Allergies Together (E•A•T), a non-profit solely dedicated to funding food allergy research, awarded our Center one of three inaugural grants for an "Improving Safety for the Food Allergy-Asthma Syndrome" study led by Dr. Sharon Chinthrajah and Dr. Kari Nadeau. Results from this study will improve our understanding of the interactions between food allergy and asthma, and lead to a better understanding of how omalizumab may increase safety and decrease symptoms associated with these diseases during OIT. Read More.
Clinical Trials
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