All posts by Mary Jo Strobel

RE-TREAD: Revisiting the NIH Taskforce on the Research needs of Eosinophil-Associated Diseases

Today, an important review paper was published in the Journal of Leukocyte Biology. The publication, titled “Revisiting the NIH Taskforce on the Research needs of Eosinophil-Associated Diseases (RE-TREAD)”, is a progress report on the unmet needs of our patient community.

APFED has long advocated for federal research priority for eosinophil-associated diseases and supported related efforts. Six years ago, we actively planned a meeting with NIH and the Office for Disease Prevention which became known as the “Taskforce on the Research Needs of Eosinophil Associated Diseases (TREAD) Workshop”. This task force, comprised of experts from various specialties that treat these diseases, such as allergy, gastroenterology, pathology, and others, was charged with proposing and prioritizing unmet research needs for eosinophil-associated diseases. Shortly after, APFED co-authored a pivotal paper that is known as “the TREAD document.” This report highlighted the areas of need for eosinophil disease research to guide the distribution of funds as they became available.

In summer 2017, a taskforce assembled once again at the International Eosinophil Society (IES) Symposium to review the state of current progress in research and resources and to compare it to unmet needs today. Kathleen Sable, APFED Board Member, traveled to Sweden to participate as a taskforce member, contributing to the discussion and presenting the need for new medical codes for subsets of eosinophil-associated diseases that currently do not have them. Kathleen also worked to co-author the recent paper in Journal of Leukocyte Biology. The paper provides a review of the meeting and states:

“RE‐TREAD focused on gaps in basic science, translational, and clinical research on eosinophils and eosinophil‐related pathogenesis. Improved recapitulation of human eosinophil biology and pathogenesis in murine models was felt to be of importance. Characterization of eosinophil phenotypes, the role of eosinophil subsets in tissues, identification of biomarkers of eosinophil activation and tissue load, and a better understanding of the role of eosinophils in human disease were prioritized. Finally, an unmet need for tools for use in clinical trials was emphasized. Histopathologic scoring, patient‐ and clinician‐reported outcomes, and appropriate coding were deemed of paramount importance for research collaborations, drug development, and approval by regulatory agencies. Further exploration of the eosinophil genome, epigenome, and proteome was also encouraged.”

APFED is committed to serving in both active and supporting roles to see that progress continues until the unmet needs of our community are resolved. We look forward to continued contributions to the field.

2018 Hope APFED/AAAAI Pilot Grant Award Recipient Announced

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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2018 AAAAI/APFED Best Abstract on EGIDs Awards Recipients Announced

Researchers recognized for best-scoring abstracts focusing on eosinophilic gastrointestinal disease

ATLANTA, GA — The American Partnership for Eosinophilic Disorders (APFED) announced today the two recipients of the 2018 AAAAI/APFED Best Abstract on EGIDs Awards. To recognize outstanding research abstracts on eosinophil-associated gastrointestinal diseases (EGIDs) presented at the Joint Congress of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI) and the World Allergy Organization, APFED funded a $750 award both to the best-scoring abstract by a Fellow-in-Training and by a Member.

The awards are intended to help defray travel costs to the meeting so that the researchers may present their findings to their peers. Abstract award winners may go on to successfully compete for grants from APFED or from other funding mechanisms.

The 2018 AAAAI/APFED Best Abstracts on EGIDs recipients are Peter S. Capucilli, MD (Fellow-in-Training), Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, for his abstract entitled “A Comparison of Comorbid Diagnoses in Children with and without Eosinophilic Esophagitis in a Large Primary Care Population,” and Ichiro Nomura, MD (Member), National Research Institute for Child Health and Development, for his abstract entitled “Elevated Serum TSLP, IL-33, 6Ckine and MCP-3 Levels in School Children or Older Patients with Eosinophilic Gastroenteritis.”

The awards were made possible thanks to the generous donations to APFED’s HOPE on the Horizon Research Program, which 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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Save the Date for Eos Connection 2018

APFED’s 16th Annual Patient Conference on Eosinophilic Gastrointestinal Diseases

Hyatt Aurora

Denver, CO

July 6-7, 2018

Join us to:

  • Learn the latest advancements in diagnosis and treatment
  • Hear directly from key investigators about promising research
  • Get strategies to help cope with the physical and emotional challenges of living with EGIDs
  • Learn practical tools to implement in the daily management of EGIDs
  • Meet others who “get it” and make new friends that will last a lifetime!

Conference Highlights

Two full days of sessions designed for patients and caregivers, social and networking opportunities, teen sessions, panel discussions, Q&A, and so much more!

 Visit APFED.org to learn more! And stay up to date with conference details and connect with other attendees in advance by joining our conference Facebook page.

 Special thanks to our Education Partners for making the 2018 Eos Connection Conference possible.

Adam Rantz Memorial Golf Outing

Calling all friends in the Pennsylvania area! Join us on Friday, May 18 for the 2nd Annual Adam Rantz Memorial Golf Outing in Green Lane, PA. The event will begin at 12:00 PM at the Macoby Run Golf Course.

Organizer Ethan Rantz is hosting this golf event to honor his late brother Adam, who battled Eosinophilic Faciitis (EF). This event celebrates Adam’s life while also raising awareness and helping fund research for those living with eosinophil-associated diseases.

Hit the links for a great cause and join us for a day of golf and FUNdraising. The proceeds raised from this event will go towards APFED’s HOPE on the Horizon Research Fund.

Learn More and Register

Event Facebook Page 

Sponsorship Opportunities coming soon!
For additional info, contact jforrest@apfed.org