Contact: Mary Jo Strobel, Executive Director, (713) 493-7749, mjstrobel@apfed.org

ATLANTA, GA —The Board of Directors of the American Partnership for Eosinophilic Disorders (APFED), based in Atlanta, GA, announces the election of a new board officer, Juliet Ross, Psy.D.Dr. Ross will play a key role in the organization’s development, shaping and implementing APFED’s strategic initiatives and supporting a variety of campaigns that align with the organization’s mission.

A clinical psychologist in private practice in New York, Dr. Ross has been involved with APFED since 2012 when her young son was diagnosed with eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE). Since that time, she has been active in the patient community, working through many channels to raise awareness of eosinophil-associated diseases.  A staunch advocate, Dr. Ross has shared the caregiver’s perspective through various outlets, including national press interviews, and has helped countless families as they learn to cope with these diseases. She has supported efforts for insurance coverage of medical foods and speaks out about improved access to care for families who need it. Dr. Ross has also made significant contributions to research funding, raising tens of thousands of dollars in support of APFED’s HOPE on the Horizon Research Program.

“I am enthusiastic about ramping up my efforts to raise awareness about eosinophil-associated diseases and funds that are desperately needed for research and advocacy,” said Dr. Ross. “Improving quality of life for patients and families affected by EADs is near and dear to me, and I look forward to pursuing these goals as a member of the APFED Board. The day my son was diagnosed with EoE, our doctor provided information from APFED, and APFED has been with us every step of the way. It is a privilege to be part of APFED’s initiatives.”

“We are thrilled to welcome Juliet Ross to our Board of Directors,” said APFED President Dr. Wendy Book. “She has championed our cause for many years and has made many important contributions in the areas of awareness, education, research, and advocacy. Her passion, dedication, and commitment to further APFED’s mission will better enable us to continue our critical work on behalf of the patient community.”

Founded in 2001, APFED is a non-profit organization dedicated to patients and their families coping with eosinophil-associated diseases, which occur when eosinophils, a type of white blood cell that have various functions in the body and are involved with a number of inflammatory conditions. Typically, eosinophils make up less than 5% of circulating white blood cells. When a person has increased numbers of eosinophils in their digestive system, tissues, organs, and/or bloodstream, without a known cause, he or she may have an eosinophil-associated disease. These diseases are further categorized depending on where the eosinophils are found (for example, eosinophilic esophagitis is when there are too many eosinophils in the esophagus, which in turn cause inflammation and damage). There is no cure for eosinophil-associated diseases, and very few subsets have an FDA-approved therapy available. 

To learn more about APFED and eosinophil-associated diseases, visit apfed.org.

About APFED

American Partnership for Eosinophilic Disorders (APFED) is a non-profit organization dedicated to patients and their families coping with eosinophilic disorders. APFED’s 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.

Upcoming events include National Eosinophil Awareness Week, May 20-26, 2018, and Eos Connection 2018: APFED’s 16 Annual Patient Education Conference, July 6-7, 2018 in Denver. Learn more at apfed.org.

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Funded study to define the consequences and mechanisms of mucosal mast cell activation in the esophagus

Contacts: Mary Jo Strobel, Executive Director, (713) 493-7749, mjstrobel@apfed.org

ATLANTA, GA —The American Partnership for Eosinophilic Disorders (APFED) is pleased to announce that it has awarded a 2018 HOPE Pilot Grant Award to Dr. Joshua B. Wechsler, Assistant Professor in Pediatrics, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, and Attending Physician, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago.

Dr. Wechsler will receive $100,000 from APFED over a two-year period to carry out his award-winning research proposal. His project is entitled “Defining Mast Cell Phenotype, Activation Pathways and Cellular Interactions that Drive Chronic Symptoms and Endoscopic Changes in Eosinophilic Esophagitis.”

With this grant, Dr. Wechsler seeks to understand the role of esophageal mast cell activation in EoE symptoms, along with endoscopic abnormalities in EoE and the effect of treatment. His work will analyze novel pathways in individual mast cells from a biopsy, to determine factors that drive persistent endoscopic abnormalities. He will also define interactions of mast cells and their mediators with the structural epithelial cell, relevant to what is seen in the biopsy.

This project will help uncover fundamental aspects of mucosal mast cells signaling and cellular interactions critical to driving clinical phenotype in EoE, which could in turn contribute to novel therapies to improve treatment response.

“APFED’s HOPE Pilot grants are selected through a competitive peer-reviewed process,” APFED President Dr. Wendy Book explains. “Applicants are asked to submit a novel research idea that shows promise and conforms to the APFED mission to improve the lives of those living with eosinophil-associated diseases. These proposals are then reviewed and scored by an ad-hoc panels of expert reviewers, which guides us as we select the most impactful projects with innovative ideas to fund. Successful grantees demonstrate a plan and the potential to receive subsequent, larger funding for their project.”

“This work seeks to improve patient care by delving into critical pathways at play between individual mucosal mast cells and the epithelium,” said Dr. Wechsler. “We believe these interactions are key to ongoing endoscopic and histologic abnormalities in a subset of patients with EoE. This award will greatly facilitate the success of my research career and help me achieve extramural funding.”

 To learn more about APFED’s HOPE on the Horizon Research Program and projects that have been awarded since the program’s inception in 2005, please visit apfed.org.

About APFED

American Partnership for Eosinophilic Disorders (APFED) is a non-profit organization dedicated to patients and their families coping with eosinophilic disorders. APFED’s 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.

Upcoming events include National Eosinophil Awareness Week, May 20-26, 2018, and Eos Connection 2018: APFED’s 16 Annual Patient Education Conference, July 6-7, 2018 in Denver. Learn more at apfed.org.

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Funded study to look at effects of proton pump inhibitor treatment on genes associated with eosinophilic esophagitis

Contacts: Mary Jo Strobel, Executive Director, (713) 493-7749, mjstrobel@apfed.org

ATLANTA, GA — The American Partnership for Eosinophilic Disorders (APFED) and the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI) are pleased to announce the recipient of their 2018 Hope APFED/AAAAI Pilot Grant Award for research in eosinophil-associated diseases (EADs).

Mirna Chehade, MD, MPH from the Mount Sinai Center for Eosinophilic Disorders, Jaffe Food Allergy Institute, at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, has been selected to receive funding for her promising work on the effects of proton pump inhibitor (PPI) therapy on genes associated with eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE).

The award was announced at the Joint Congress of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology and the World Allergy Organization, held on March 2–5 in Orlando, FL. Dr. Chehade’s project entitled “Impact of Proton Pump Inhibitors on the Esophageal Transcriptome in Eosinophilic Esophagitis Subtypes” will receive funding of $70,000 per year for two years (a total of $140,000). The grant award is co-funded equally between APFED and AAAAI.

Dr. Chehade and her team will research the effects of proton pump inhibitor treatment on the EoE transcriptome in an attempt to identify EoE from PPI-responsive esophageal eosinophilia. Addressing this important issue may provide new insights into the how EoE-associated genes are suppressed with PPI therapy. Identification of transcriptome markers of PPI responsiveness would have a high impact in the clinical setting.

Established in 2013, the Hope APFED/AAAAI Pilot Grant Award is the result of a collaborative effort between APFED and AAAAI to enable investigators from a variety of disciplines to initiate projects relevant to eosinophil-associated diseases, with a focus on the development of new and inventive ideas that are likely to lead to future external funding and better patient outcomes.

“In the five years since its founding, the Hope APFED/AAAAI Pilot Award has supported projects aimed at better understanding the underlying causes of EADs and finding new and effective treatments for these disorders,” said APFED Executive Director Mary Jo Strobel. “APFED is excited to once again partner with AAAAI to fund this research study by Dr. Chehade, which has the potential to result in improved and targeted treatment options for our community.”

“I’m honored to receive this award and am grateful to APFED and AAAAI for the opportunity to pursue this research,” Dr. Chehade said. “Through this grant, I hope to better understand which patients might benefit from PPI therapy, and therefore reduce some of the trial and error treatment approaches we currently follow in eosinophilic esophagitis. This project will help pave the way for personalized medicine for patients suffering from EoE.”

Donations to APFED’s HOPE on the Horizon Research Program has enabled the organization to contribute more than $2 million for the research of eosinophil-associated diseases since the fund began in 2005.

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. The AAAAI’s Find an Allergist/Immunologist service is a trusted resource to help you find a specialist close to home.

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