Initiative Life Sciences

Sean N. Parker Center for Allergy Research

The Opportunity

Allergies know no geographic or socioeconomic barrier and affect an estimated 30% - 40% of the global population on a daily basis, including asthma, eczema, drug allergies and food allergies. Data has shown that the rate of people – both adults and children – with food allergies is doubling every 10 years. This is a growing epidemic and there is no FDA-approved treatment, let alone a cure. While allergies are an immunological problem, the field of allergy research has lagged behind relative to the rest of the field of immunology thereby creating a critical need for funding the basic science around immune mechanisms driving the sensitization and desensitization in allergy.

The Initiative

The Sean N. Parker Center for Allergy Research at Stanford’s objective is to find a cure for allergies and transform the lives of patients and families. Led by Kari Nadeau, MD, PhD, an internationally renowned immunology researcher who focuses on allergies, the interdisciplinary center will focus on understanding the mechanisms of the immune system, the dysfunctions of which result in allergic reactions. Through laboratory and computational research, clinical trials, community outreach and other efforts, the center will work toward finding rationally-based therapies to provide the safest and best treatments for allergies, including asthma, eczema, food allergies, drug allergies and more.

Leadership

Dr. Kari Nadeau, MD, PhD
  • Director, FARE Center of Excellence at Stanford University
  • Naddisy Foundation Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics
  • Professor, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care, Department of Medicine
  • Professor, Division of Allergy, Immunology, and Rheumatology, Department of Pediatrics
  • Professor, Courtesy Appointment, Department of Otolaryngology
  • Stanford University School of Medicine
  • Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital