URMC Selected to Join National Food Allergy Research Network

The University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) has been selected to join the Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE) Clinical Network, a national group of research institutions working to accelerate the development of new therapies for food allergies and improve the quality of care patients receive.

As a FARE Center of Excellence, URMC will serve as a site for major clinical trials for the development of new therapies, develop the best practices of care for patients with food allergies, and contribute to the development of a national food allergy patient registry and biorepositories.

“We are proud to be selected as a member of FARE’s Clinical Network, and we look forward to collaborating with other leading centers across the country,” said Kirsi Jarvinen-Seppo, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of Pediatrics at URMC. “This opportunity will allow our researchers and our patients to participate in major, multicenter research initiatives and for our institution to play a part in the development of new, more effective therapies.”

FARE, the leading advocacy organization working on behalf of the 15 million Americans with food allergies, established the clinical network in 2015 and has invested $6.5 million in the initiative since it was created.   

URMC is one of 29 institutions across the country to be named a FARE Center of Excellence and the only one in upstate New York. Selected centers of excellence provide high-quality clinical and sub-specialty allergy expertise and services, are focused on applying new evidence-based knowledge to the field, and meet high standards for clinical care, teaching, and research.

“Our goal is to continue to expand the FARE Clinical Network and provide the necessary infrastructure to rapidly apply evidence-based knowledge not only to research, but to clinical care including diagnostics and management,” said James R. Baker, Jr., M.D., CEO and chief medical officer of FARE. “This national collaborative becomes even stronger with the addition of top-notch centers in Florida, Missouri and New York.”

The Center for Food Allergy at Golisano Children’s Hospital, established in March 2015, will lead the majority of the collaborative efforts with FARE. The center provides comprehensive allergy care to families in the greater Rochester area and beyond and is also focused on a growing research portfolio.

Food allergy is a potentially life-threatening disease and a growing public health issue. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), one in 13 American children — or two in every classroom —have a food allergy.