Message from the Scientific Director

The MHWFAC had another exceptional year, advancing foundational and translational food‑allergy research as well as expanding diagnostics and mechanistic understanding. 

We are excited by our first decade of discovery and exhilarated by the possibilities of the next decade.

MHWFAC faculty have produced 53 publications since January 2024, and more than 200 since the center’s inception.  Our works have garnered 4,374 citations and a collective “h‑index” of 32 – a measure of influence indicating significant impact on the field. 

Of these, 108 publications directly address food‑allergy pathogenesis, diagnostics, epidemiology, or clinical outcomes.  These works span anaphylaxis, barrier/epithelial biology, nanoparticle vaccines, mast‑cell biology, atopic dermatitis, eosinophilic disease, ILC biology, precision medicine, clinical practice, epidemiology, policy, and research trials.

MHWFAC has continued to diversify our funding from NIH, industry, and philanthropic partners to support our portfolio, complemented by donor support for strategic pilot programs. 

In 2024–2025, the CoFAR funding from NIH expanded and allowed the MHWFAC to better network into nationally organized clinical and observational studies. We strengthened our research infrastructure through the creation of a genomics core (Drs. Tsoi, Gudjonsson, Schuler) and a clinical trials center (Drs. Slack, Schuler, O’Shea) to better integrate bench discoveries with clinical translation.

We accelerated translation via the M‑FARA Pilot Grant Program and new equipment. 

Pilot grant awards have allowed investigators to obtain NIH grants (such as the K23 and R01) and established industry relationships, allowing our MHWFAC faculty to investigate innovative and novel areas. In 2024–2025, pilot awards were made to Susie Min, MD (transcriptomic analysis of PPI‑responsive vs. unresponsive EoE) and Mohammad Farazuddin, PhD (targeting dendritic‑cell retinoic‑acid receptors to control allergic reactions) that will address both clinical responses and developing mechanisms associated with allergy development. 

Equipment additions include expanded flow‑cytometry sorting/analysis, TEWL devices for human and mouse studies, and Phadia ImmunoCAP capacity to support biomarker‑driven studies. 

Education and community remain central to MHWFAC’s mission. Gary Huffnagle, PhD launched the first U.S. undergraduate course focused on food allergy in 2019 (IHS 340: Germ Wars, Asthma and the Food Allergy Epidemic) with over 100 students registering for the course each of the past three years. This course also has allowed the center to recruit undergraduates with food allergy interests into the research arena.

Our M‑FARA Symposium has grown from a virtual launch in 2020 to a vibrant regional meeting, with 150 registrants at the fifth annual meeting in June, focused on immune tolerance and novel treatments. Regular lab meetings, PI strategy sessions, and steering committees sustain idea exchange and mentoring.

Looking ahead, MHWFAC will further enhance bench‑to‑clinic integration through clinical cohorts, organoid models, and humanized mouse systems. We will build advanced bioinformatics and machine‑learning/AI analysis capacity; and sustain pilot funding to seed high‑impact innovations (such as M‑SIBS and M‑FAD). These steps will enrich our ability to translate mechanistic insights into precision diagnostics and therapeutics that improve patient lives.