Amazon’s Jeff Bezos supports food allergy research

Amazon chief Jeff Bezos and his wife have established a $2.24 million grant to support Dr. Kari Nadeau’s groundbreaking research at Stanford University to treat children with severe food allergies.

The grant, which aims to raise matching funds through private donations, will allow Dr. Nadeau to expand her research to other centres in the U.S. and for Stanford University to establish an independent allergy research centre on its campus.

Dr. Nadeau studies the causes of food allergies, oral immunotherapy for multiple food allergies, and eosinophilic esophagitis. Oral immunotherapy is a method of de-sensitizing the immune system by gradually exposing patients to incremental doses of a food allergen over time until tolerance is achieved.

In June 2014, AllerGen NCE and Dr. Nadeau announced the launch of a new collaboration that will advance food allergy research in North America. The Stanford Alliance for Food Allergy Research (SAFAR)/AllerGen Research Fellowship Award provides a salary/stipend of up to $50,000 US for one year for a young Canadian investigator (PhD or MD) with an interest in the prevention and treatment of severe food allergies to work with Dr. Nadeau at Stanford University. Call for Applications | Application Form

“AllerGen is delighted that this award will allow a young Canadian scientist with an interest in developing new and safe therapies for food allergies to work with Dr. Nadeau,” says Dr. Judah Denburg, Scientific Director and CEO of AllerGen. “Food allergy is the next, rising wave of the allergy epidemic. Research in this area is a priority for both organizations, given the rising prevalence and accompanying risk of life-threatening anaphylaxis, including the many challenges which food allergic patients face in everyday settings such as schools, public venues and restaurants.”