All posts by Amity Westcott-Chavez

APFED Launches EoE Awareness Campaign in New York City’s Iconic Times Square

Announcements, APFED Blog, Media Info, Press Releases, What's New

New series of digital advertisements will educate visitors about eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) and its symptoms

ATLANTA, GA —The American Partnership for Eosinophilic Disorders (APFED) is pleased to announce a campaign to boost awareness of eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) in one of the most recognizable advertising venues—Times Square in New York City.  To educate the public about the symptoms of EoE and prompt them to learn more if they recognize symptoms, APFED is running a disease awareness campaign in Times Square from April 1, 2023, through June 30, 2023.

The campaign will appear on a digital billboard located five stories above the northeast corner of the intersection at 1500 Broadway and West 43rd Street.

Awareness of eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is essential for early detection and is key to ensuring patients are offered effective treatment in a timely fashion. EoE is a chronic, allergic inflammatory disease of the esophagus (the tube connecting the mouth to the stomach). It occurs when a type of white blood cell, the eosinophil, accumulates in the esophagus. The elevated number of eosinophils cause injury and inflammation to the esophagus. This damage may make eating difficult or uncomfortable, potentially resulting in poor growth, chronic pain, and/or difficulty swallowing.

“This campaign is an excellent opportunity to reach a diverse population to educate them about the symptoms of EoE,” shared APFED’s Executive Director Mary Jo Strobel. “The April-June timeframe also aligns with our patient community’s increased efforts to raise awareness during National Eosinophil Awareness Week (May 14-20, 2023) and World Eosinophilic Diseases Day (May 18).”

APFED is grateful to Sanofi and Regeneron for their support of the campaign.

About the American Partnership for Eosinophilic Disorders (APFED)

The American Partnership for Eosinophilic Disorders (APFED) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to passionately embrace, support, and improve the lives of patients and families affected by eosinophil-associated diseases through education and awareness, research, support, and advocacy. apfed.org

 

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APFED Announces 2023 AAAAI/APFED Best Abstract on EGIDs Awards

Announcements, APFED Blog, What's New

Two recipients are recognized for best-scoring abstracts focused on eosinophilic gastrointestinal diseases (EGIDs)

ATLANTA, GA —The American Partnership for Eosinophilic Disorders (APFED) has announced the recipients of the 2023 AAAAI/APFED Best Abstract on EGIDs Awards for research presented during the Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI) in San Antonio on February 24-27, 2023.

The 2023 AAAAI/APFED Best Abstract on EGIDs recipients are Jonathan M. Spergel, MD, PhD, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, for his abstract entitled, “Dupilumab improves type 2 comorbidity outcomes in patients with eosinophilic esophagitis and comorbid disease at baseline: from Parts A and B of LIBERTY-EoE-TREET” and Victoria T. Nguyen, DO, Penn State College of Medicine, for her abstract entitled, “Major depression and Suicide: A Common Comorbidity of Eosinophilic Esophagitis.”

The AAAAI/APFED Best Abstract on EGIDs Awards honor outstanding research abstracts on eosinophil-associated gastrointestinal diseases (EGIDs).  APFED funds the $750 awards to help enable researchers travel to present their findings more broadly to their peers. Abstract award winners may go on to successfully compete for grants from APFED or from other funding mechanisms.

The awards were made possible thanks to the generous donations to APFED’s HOPE on the Horizon Research Program. For more information or to make a donation, visit apfed.org.

APFED’s Executive Director Recognized with 2023 AAAAI Distinguished Layperson Award

Announcements, APFED Blog, Press Releases, What's New

Strobel received the award during the Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI)

ATLANTA, GA —The American Partnership for Eosinophilic Disorders (APFED) today announced that the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI) has awarded APFED Executive Director Mary Jo Strobel with its 2023 Distinguished Layperson Award for her unwavering support and advocacy for eosinophilic disorders. The award was presented today during the 2023 AAAAI Annual Meeting in San Antonio, Texas.

Ms. Strobel has 25 years of professional experience in patient advocacy for allergic conditions and has served as APFED’s Executive Director since 2012. Ms. Strobel also has a broad background in patient education, awareness campaigns, and research, in addition to her achievements in advocacy.

Ms. Strobel has educated members of the U.S. Congress to encourage federal funding for research for eosinophil-associated disease and has encouraged their support for legislation for insurance reimbursement of medical foods and step therapy reform.  She was recently involved in the development and publication of a global patient charter to inspire policymakers and healthcare decision-makers to reform healthcare practices for people living with eosinophil-associated diseases and has educated managed care and payer professionals about the clinical and economic burden of EoE, current and emerging treatments, and the importance of early diagnosis and multidisciplinary care.

Ms. Strobel has also been involved in initiatives to provide the U.S. Food and Drug Administration with patient experience so that they are informed as they consider applications for new treatments and to inspire drug developers to consider new areas of research.

The AAAAI is the leading membership organization of more than 7,000 healthcare professionals with a special interest in the research and treatment of allergic and immunologic diseases. View the 2023 AAAAI Honorary Award Recipients.

About the American Partnership for Eosinophilic Disorders (APFED)

The American Partnership for Eosinophilic Disorders (APFED) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to passionately embrace, support, and improve the lives of patients and families affected by eosinophil-associated diseases through education and awareness, research, support, and advocacy. www.apfed.org

About the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI)

The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI) represents allergists, asthma specialists, clinical immunologists, allied health professionals and others with a special interest in the research and treatment of allergic and immunologic diseases. Established in 1943, the AAAAI has more than 7,000 members in the United States, Canada and 72 other countries.  www.aaaai.org/

APFED Announces Fei Li Kuang as Second HOPE Pilot Grant Award Recipient of 2022

Announcements, APFED Blog, Press Releases, What's New

(Atlanta, GA)— The American Partnership for Eosinophilic Disorders (APFED) is proud to announce that, thanks to the generosity of donors, the organization has awarded a research grant to Fei Li Kuang, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Dr. Kuang will receive $100,000 from APFED for a two-year project to examine how blood eosinophils in eosinophilic gastrointestinal disease (EGID) differ from those of other eosinophilic diseases, and how T-cells in EGIDs differ from those in food allergy.

The data gleaned from this study will provide the foundation for developing new non-invasive diagnostic tools for EGIDs and other eosinophil-associated diseases.

“I sincerely appreciate all the hard work that APFED does to support research in and patients with eosinophilic disorders such as HES and EGIDs,” shared Dr. Kuang. “This award will allow my research program to advance our understanding of EGIDS and ultimately improve patient quality of life,  goals that are deeply important to me as these are also my patients.”

This is the second HOPE Pilot Grant APFED has awarded this year, thanks to community support. In July, the organization announced a two-year, $100,000 grant awarded to Dr. Michael Rosenblum at University of California in San Francisco to study the cellular and molecular interaction of skin fibroblasts (cells that are part of the skin’s structure) with eosinophils to determine the causes of disease and its relapse.

Recipients of APFED’s HOPE Pilot Grant award are chosen through a competitive peer-review process, which is how premier scientific funding agencies like the National Institutes of Health ensure top-level research in the field is funded. The grant was established to support researchers as they initiate new, innovative projects relevant to eosinophil-associated diseases that are likely to be impactful.

An ad-hoc committee of volunteer peer reviewers, experts in the field of eosinophil-associated disease research, review and score each proposal APFED receives for funding consideration. This rigorous process helps APFED to identify the best research that will have the biggest impact to best to direct donor dollars.

APFED is grateful for donors and community fundraisers that have supported the HOPE on the Horizon Research Grant Program. The advances toward a better understanding of eosinophil-associated diseases, non-invasive and accurate diagnostics, and therapeutic targets are not possible without the generosity of donations to this program.

About the American Partnership for Eosinophilic Disorders (APFED)

The American Partnership for Eosinophilic Disorders (APFED) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to passionately embrace, support, and improve the lives of patients and families affected by eosinophil-associated diseases through education and awareness, research, support, and advocacy. www.apfed.org

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APFED Announces 2022 NASPGHAN Outstanding EGID Abstract Award Recipients

Announcements, APFED Blog, Press Releases, What's New

Award honors two best-scoring abstracts focused on eosinophilic gastrointestinal disease

(Atlanta, GA)—The American Partnership for Eosinophilic Disorders (APFED) has recognized two outstanding research works at the Annual Meeting of the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition (NASPGHAN) held October 12-15 in Orlando, Florida. NASPGHAN is the professional society for pediatric gastroenterologists in North America, serving clinical gastroenterologists and scientists from the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.

Two recipients were presented with an Outstanding EGID Abstract Awards at the annual meeting. These awards were established to recognize the best-scoring abstracts on eosinophil-associated gastrointestinal diseases (EGIDs) and the funds help offset travel costs to attend the meeting and present their finding to their peers.

The 2022 NASPGHAN Outstanding EGID Abstract Award recipients are Jessina Thomas, MD, of Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children in Orlando, FL, for her abstract titled, “Monitoring Eosinophilic Esophagitis Disease Activity Using the Blind Esophageal Brushing Method,” and Rethavathi Janarthanam, PhD, of Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago, IL, for her abstract titled, “Carboxypeptidase A3 Is Elevated in Mast Cells Spatially Located by Basal Epithelial Cells and Drives Basal Cell Hyperplasia via Loss of Desmoglein-1 in Eosinophilic Esophagitis.”

Dr. Thomas and her team looked at a less invasive alternative to serial endoscopies to monitor changes in patients with eosinophilic esophagitis. The aim of this study was to examine a model using serial blind esophageal brushings (collecting eosinophils using a brush through an NGT) to monitor therapy response through eosinophil-derived neurotoxin (a potential biomarker for inflammation/increased numbers of eosinophils) levels and guide therapy decisions in EoE patients. This study suggests a model in which blind esophageal brushing can be used to monitor therapy response and disease activity in pediatric patients with established EoE.

Dr. Janarthanam’s team studied the role of mast cells in the esophagus to determine their role in eosinophilic esophagitis.  This study is looking at specific chemical signals released by mast cells that affect the function of the epithelial layer of the esophagus. The results of this study led researchers to conclude that one of these chemical signals, CPA3+, is present in active EoE and causes the overgrowth of the cells and loss of barrier integrity.

About the American Partnership for Eosinophilic Disorders (APFED)

The American Partnership for Eosinophilic Disorders (APFED) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to passionately embrace, support, and improve the lives of patients and families affected by eosinophil-associated diseases through education and awareness, research, support, and advocacy. www.apfed.org.

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