CHOP Named a Center of Excellence in Clinical Network for Food Allergy
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A new national network of centers committed to clinical research on food allergies will support work at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and other healthcare facilities with high-quality expertise and services for patients with food allergies.
Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE), a leading advocacy organization working to benefit 15 million American children and adults with food allergies, launched the FARE Clinical Network on June 29. The network aims to accelerate drug development in the field, as well as improve the quality of care for patients with food allergies. FARE will initially fund 22 centers of excellence, including CHOP’s program, with an investment of over $2 million per year.
“We are proud to be selected as a member of FARE’s Clinical Network, and look forward to collaborating in this effort to improve diagnosis and advance treatment for patients with food allergies,” said pediatric allergist Jonathan M. Spergel, MD, PhD, chief of CHOP’s Section of Allergy.
Food allergy is a potentially life-threatening disease and a growing public health issue. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the number of U.S. children with food allergies has increased by 50 percent from 1997 to 2011. Currently 1 in 13 American children, roughly two in every classroom, has a food allergy. No cure currently exists for this illness.
Centers in the FARE Network will conduct clinical trials of new treatments and develop patient registries.