The Stallergenes Greer Foundation, dedicated to fostering
innovation and precision medicine in the field of allergy, is
delighted to announce the recipients of the 2023 edition of its
prestigious Science Awards for Allergy. These awards recognise
outstanding contributions to allergy research and environmental
health initiatives and allocate up to €150,000 to support these
efforts.
After thorough review of the 45 high-level applications by the
Foundation’s Scientific Board and Managing Board, the following
researchers have been selected as recipients:
Innovation Awards
Assoc. Prof. Jennifer Koplin, Group Leader, Childhood
Allergy & Epidemiology, Child Health Research Centre, The
University of Queensland, Australia, recognised for her research:
“Association between earlier introduction of peanut and prevalence
of peanut allergy in infants in Australia” will receive
€25,000.
Assoc. Prof. Rachel Peters, Principal Research Fellow,
Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Australia, recognised for
her research: “Multiple food allergy phenotypes in infancy are
associated with lung function deficits and asthma at 6 years of
age: a prospective cohort study in Australia” will receive
€25,000.
- Mid-Career Scientist Category:
Assoc. Prof. Jenny Hallgren Martinsson, Senior Lecturer
in Immunology, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology,
Uppsala University, Sweden, recognized for her research:
“Circulating mast cell progenitors increase during natural birch
pollen exposure in allergic asthma patients” will receive
€25,000.
Dr Luciana Kase Tanno, Researcher, University Hospital of
Montpellier, France, recognised for her research: “Changing the
history of anaphylaxis mortality statistics through the World
Health Organization's International Classification of Diseases 11”
will receive €25,000.
Environmental Health
Award
Dr Dorra Gharbi, Post doctoral research fellow,
Allergology and Immunology Unit, Lung Institute, University of Cape
Town, South Africa, recognised for her research: “Allergenic tree
pollen in Johannesburg and Cape Town as a public health risk:
Towards a sustainable implementation framework for South African
cities” will receive €50,000.
Michele Antonelli, CEO of Stallergenes Greer and Chairman of the
Stallergenes Greer Foundation, expresses his congratulations to the
award recipients. “These researchers exemplify the spirit of
innovation and dedication that the Stallergenes Greer Foundation
seeks to promote. Their work not only advances our understanding of
allergies but also brings us closer to creating healthier futures
for all. These grants contribute to nurturing the next generation
of researchers, in line with the foundation’s core mission of
supporting academic endeavors aimed at fostering future leaders in
allergy healthcare.”
The Scientific Committee, composed of a panel of international
renowned experts:
- Pascal Demoly, Professor of Pulmonology and Head of Department
at the University Hospital of Montpellier (France)
- Alessandro Fiocchi, MD, Director of Allergy at Pediatric
Hospital Bambino Gesù, Rome, (Vatican City)
- Carla Irani, Associate Professor, Internal Medicine and
Clinical Immunology, Allergology - Immunological Asthma at Hôtel
Dieu de France University Medical Center, Beirut (Lebanon)
- Kari Nadeau, MD, PhD, Chair of the Department of Environmental
Health at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston (MA,
U.S.A.)
highlighted the comprehensive coverage of allergy research of
these awards, spanning public health with international
classification of diseases, clinical science in asthma, and
epidemiology in food allergy and aerobiology. The members also
noted that these awards present an outstanding opportunity to
highlight the importance of allergy research while tackling the
increasing prevalence of allergic disease across the globe.
The Stallergenes Greer Foundation extends its gratitude to all
applicants and acknowledges the invaluable contribution of the
Scientific Board in the selection process.
The next Science Awards will be announced in 2025.
About the research projects
Jennifer Koplin’s research uses large-scale
population-based studies to advance the understanding of childhood
food allergy. These studies contribute to the development of novel
prevention interventions and are helping to target emerging
prevention and treatment strategies for the individuals who will
benefit most from these interventions. Her innovative work with the
EarlyNuts study evaluated the uptake and impact of early peanut
introduction on peanut allergy, not only showing that
population-level changes in infant feeding practices are possible,
but also contributing to reshaping clinical and public health
guidelines, and inspiring novel clinical trials
internationally.
Soriano VX, et al: Association Between Earlier Introduction of
Peanut and Prevalence of Peanut Allergy in Infants in Australia.
JAMA. 2022 Jul 5;328(1):48-56.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35788795/
Rachel Peters’ research aims to reduce the adverse
consequences of infant food allergy – affecting up to 10% of
children worldwide – on children’s future health. Through a
pioneering study on the link between childhood food allergy and
respiratory health, she uncovered that infants with food allergy,
even if it resolves, present with lung function deficits and a
higher risk of asthma by school age. These findings are sparking
greater clinical vigilance regarding the monitoring of respiratory
health of children with food allergies and will support clinicians
worldwide in tailoring patient care.
Peters RL. Soriano VX, Lycett K, et al: Multiple food allergy
phenotypes in infancy are associated with lung function deficits
and asthma at 6 years of age: a prospective cohort study in
Australia. The Lancet child & adolescent health 2023
Sep;7(9):636-647 .https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37506717/
Jenny Hallgren Martinsson’s research interest is to
determine the role of mast cells—immune cells responsible for
immediate allergic reactions—in allergic asthma. Her recent
cutting-edge study on birch pollen-sensitized asthma patients and
mast cell biology suggests that mast cell progenitors may play a
pathogenic role in allergic asthma, thus paving the way for the
development of new biomarkers and treatment targets for asthma.
P Abigail Alvarado-Vazquez et al, Circulating mast cell
progenitors increase during natural birch pollen exposure in
allergic asthma patients Allergy. 2023 Nov;78(11):2959-2968. doi:
10.1111/all.15860. Epub 2023 Aug 24
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Alvarado-Vazquez+PA&cauthor_id=37615432
Luciana Kase Tanno dedicated her career to epidemiology
research to support public health and preventive actions, more
particularly focusing on hypersensitivity conditions such as
anaphylaxis. Leveraging a detailed academic and evidence-based
action plan, her work helped in reviewing the current International
Classification of Diseases to provide greater visibility to
allergic and hypersensitivity conditions. Her efforts and
commitment will further ensure that patients may benefit from the
best management strategy throughout the world.
Kase Tanno et al, Changing the history of anaphylaxis mortality
statistics through the World Health Organization's International
Classification of Diseases 11.” J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2019
Sep;144(3):627-633. doi: 10.1016/j.jaci.2019.05.013. Epub 2019 Jun
20. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31229269/
Dorra Gharbi’s research focuses on aerobiology, air
quality and environmental health. Her transdisciplinary work is
enhancing our understanding of how climate, environmental exposures
(aeroallergens) and intrinsic factors intersect to impact
respiratory health outcomes. Her efforts to investigate a
phenomenon in a specific setting “allergenic pollen-producing trees
within the context of urban green infrastructure in South African
cities”, to inform a wider inquiry regarding the health risk for
the South African population, as well as the management thereof in
a sustainable implementation framework. The outcome of this
research opens the possibility of designing early warning systems
to predict community-level surges in poor respiratory health
outcomes and be able to provide allergy management plans to prevent
allergic reactions.
Gharbi, D., Neumann, F.H., Cilliers, S. et al. Allergenic tree
pollen in Johannesburg and Cape Town as a public health risk:
towards a sustainable implementation framework for South African
cities. Discov Sustain 4, 32 (2023).
https://doi.org/10.1007/s43621-023-00151-9
About the Stallergenes Greer Foundation
The Stallergenes Greer Foundation, under the aegis of the
Fondation de France, is a non-profit foundation whose aim is to
build healthier futures for all. The Stallergenes Greer Foundation
pursues a comprehensive approach calling for “the collaborative
efforts of multiple disciplines working locally, nationally, and
globally, to attain optimal health for people, animals and our
environment”, as defined by the One Health initiative.
About the Fondation de France
Created in 1969, Fondation de France is a private organisation
recognised of public interest, whose mission is to support all
forms of generosity and translate them into effective actions of
general interest. With close to 1,000 hosted foundations, the
Fondation de France supports more than 10,000 promising and
innovative initiatives each year, in France and abroad. Independent
and private, it operates thanks to the generosity of donors.
View source
version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240527622781/en/
Stallergenes Greer Foundation Catherine Kress Secretary
General Tel: +33 (0)1 55 50 26 05 Email:
catherine.kress@stallergenesgreer.com