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Happy Fall MOCHA Family!
We hope the school year is off to a great start! As always, our support for the food allergy community continues as we try to bring you the latest news, programs and products in our 2024 Fall E-News! Be on the lookout for our upcoming webinars with various food allergy organizations and follow MOCHA on Facebook and Instagram, to keep up-to-date on all the exciting things happening.
We provide our E-News quarterly. If you have any suggestions let us know, we want to make MOCHA better for you! We are always looking to improve our newsletter and our website. Please send over any and all suggestions! Help us, Help you!
We hope to see many of you at the upcoming FARE Summit in October!
Stay Safe!
Denise, Anne, and the MOCHA Interns💜
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The FARE Food Allergy Summit will be in Washington, D.C. on October 18 – 20, 2024! This in-person event brings together people who are impacted by food allergies for three days of educational sessions, insightful discussions and meaningful connections. Register today! | |
Why Everything You Thought You Knew About Food Allergies May Be Wrong
David Stukus, MD
Date: September 9, 2024
Time: 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. ET
Register here.
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Protecting Food Allergic Students in School: Know Your Rights
Laurel Francoeur, JD
Date: September 24, 2024
Time: 7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. ET
Register here.
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All About Shellfish Allergy | |
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FARE 33 is the biggest team you’ve never heard of—bigger than every professional sports team combined. Our team includes the more than 33 million people in the U.S. with food allergies, who are champions for themselves and for others with food allergy, and the allies who line up alongside them.
We’re resilient. We know what it’s like to feel anxious about food allergies, or even to have a reaction, but we get the help that we need and keep going. We’re informed. We can read ingredient lists and menus like a pro. We’re tough. And we’re everywhere. If you don’t have food allergies, you know someone who does. We’re a team that’s determined to win—so, be a part of our victory!
By joining the FARE 33 team, you become part of a movement that advocates for fairness and inclusivity while redefining the playing field for all of those who manage the daily challenges of life-threatening food allergies. We are FARE. It’s personal for us.
Learn more and join today!
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UChicago Food Allergy Care, Education, and Translational Research Center (FACET) Updates:
- With generous support from the Sunshine Charitable Foundation, UChicago Medicine hosted 1,829school nurses from 44 states and 5 countries via Zoom for the 5th annual Comer School Nurses Continuing Education Day
- It took place on August 2nd and brought together school nurses with pediatric subspecialists and school personnel to help prepare school nurses to care for our children throughout the school year. Among the sessions in the food allergy space were impactful segments that focused on food-related issues in schools, including asthma, celiac disease, and eating disorders.
FACET continues to offer telemedicine visits for patients in Illinois and Indiana.
FACET currently offers multi-food oral immunotherapy to peanuts, eggs, cow’s milk, tree nuts, and sesame in patients of all ages. Consultations are available at Hyde Park, South Loop, River East, Orland Park, and Merrillville, IN or via telemedicine. To schedule an appointment, please call 888-824-0200.
FACET is actively enrolling for the following ongoing research studies regarding food allergies:
Are you a parent worried about your newborn developing food allergies? The SEAL study, conducted along with Stanford Medicine and National Jewish Health, is investigating using investigational lotions and emollients to reduce the potential risk of food allergies in children with dry skin. To participate, you must be a parent/guardian with a newborn under 12 weeks old and willing to enroll your child. Participation may include clinic visits, sample collection, and questionnaires, as well as use of lotions and emollients. For more information, text, or call (260) 306-5454.
FACET is conducting a research study to improve the current standard for food allergy testing. Participation will include a single visit including a blood draw and $20 compensation. For more information, email Toni Ramirez at toni.ramirez@bsd.uchicago.edu.
Thanks to generous supporters, there are three critical research projects taking place:
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Dr. Sandy Kim from FACET continues to collaborate with Dr. Chuan He, on a novel
diagnostic tool that could transform the way we diagnose and treat food allergies. With this
project, diagnosis would be low risk, efficient, and cost-effective. With Dr. He’s research in
DNA modifications, he has patented a few sensitive and robust methods for detecting disease
biomarkers in DNA, and last year he received a Wolf Prize. DNA methylation analysis has the
potential to improve how we predict food challenge outcomes more accurately than both skin
prick test and blood test.
- Oral food challenges to predict the outcome of the challenge before symptoms begin. In this research, non-invasive probes from laser doppler monitor are placed on patients during oral food challenges to measure the peripheral blood flow and skin temperature. An increase in the blood flow is an indicatory of a food allergy reaction. Other vital signs are also included, such as heart rate and blood pressure, with rises in both also indicative of a reaction. This has the potential to lead to a paradigm shiftin how we diagnose and care for patients with food allergy and Eosinophilic Esophagitis.
- Dr. Ciaccio and Dr. Bana Jabri, research director of the Celiac Disease Center, are
collaborating on a research project to examine how dysfunction in the microbiome relates to
celiac disease and/or wheat allergies.
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Bellie is a prebiotic herbal tea founded by two University of Chicago grads after their battle with Irritable Bowel Syndrome. They're commercializing a new kind of prebiotic, originally found in breast milk, to help support people with sensitive digestion. They've raised $300K so far (including winning $100K in the College New Venture Challenge) and are looking for health&wellness CPG angels to help close their $450K round. If you're interesting in learning more, please contact oliver@yourbellie.com or call 773 798 7842. | |
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Ongoing NIH Funded studies:
CAUSE consortium: Dr. Kumar continues to lead the CAUSE consortium studies at Lurie. The NIH grant to Lurie Children’s is part of the NIAID funding to establish a nationwide clinical research network called Childhood Asthma in Urban Settings (CAUSE). Lurie Children’s is one of seven centers to participate. The CAUSE network extends and expands NIAID’s long-standing efforts to better understand and reduce the disproportionate burden of asthma among children living in low-income urban environments. Lurie Children’s has contributed to this research for the past 30 years.
SIRA study: Additionally Dr. Kumar, MD received $3 million from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for a site-specific clinical trial entitled the Soy Isoflavones For Inner City Infants At Risk For Asthma (SIRA) Study. This study will evaluate whether whether a soy supplement in infancy can prevent asthma in children with a high-risk genetic variation present in 60% of the population. This will be one of the earliest precision medicine approaches to asthma prevention. This trial aims to determine if we can decrease allergic airway inflammation in babies at risk of asthma and possibly prevent recurrent wheezing.
Mechanisms of Food Allergy Grant: Dr. Kumar is also evaluating along with Dr. Cook-Mills in a NIAID funded R01 grant whether the disruption of skin barrier and acute phase responses are able to predict the development of food allergy in infants at risk of peanut allergy.
Ongoing Key Clinical Trials:
Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago is currently enrolling volunteers for a clinical trial to certify that an extensively broken-down milk protein based infant formula is hypoallergenic (designed to reduce or minimize the possibility of an allergic reaction). We are recruiting kids ages 3 months to 12 year with a cow’s milk allergy that are NOT ingesting any form of cow’s milk for this study. You can try a new formula and all study-related visits & the study formula are provided at no cost. Compensation to help offset travel & parking costs will be provided! Participation in the clinical trial is voluntary.
The LIBERTY ASTHMA TREKIDS study is recruiting children ages 2 to 6 years of age with asthma that is considered severe asthma or asthma that is uncontrolled with current medications. This goal of this study is to understand if a medication called dupilumab can be effecting in children ages 2-6 years with asthma. Dupilumab is already approved to treat several other medical conditions, including asthma in older kids and adults. Compensation to help offset travel & parking costs will be provided. Participation in the clinical trial is voluntary.
ALK/Abello Peanut SLIT (sublingual immunotherapy) trial: Part 3 of this ongoing trial will assess if a peanut SLIT tablet improves peanut allergy symptoms. There will be two different active maintenance dose groups as well as a placebo group to test the effectiveness of this new therapy. Children (ages 4 and older), teenagers, and adults with peanut allergy are eligible to participate in this study.
Oral Food challenge and Oral immunotherapy Unit:
The Oral Food Challenge/Oral Immunotherapy (OFC/OIT) Clinic which continues to advance novel food allergy treatments. This program is directed by Dr. Abigail Lang MD, MSCI, and Dr. Melanie Makhija MD, MSc. In addition to Palforzia, an FDA-approved treatment for peanut allergy, the OIT program now offers off-label OIT for both peanut and egg for patients as young as 9 months of age. With dedicated time and resources, the OFC/OIT Unit is also able to perform higher-risk challenges as well as dose eliciting challenges which allow patients and families to understand how much of their food allergen may cause a reaction and alleviate some anxiety about accidental exposures.
Home Food introduction Program: Dr. Nimmagadda has spearheaded a home food introduction program which supports families do not feel comfortable with home introduction on their own when their allergist feels that home introduction is appropriate. This allows real time monitoring of the introduction at home, and increases availability of the oral food challenge slots for patients.
For further information about these studies, please contact the Food Allergy Research Study Team at 312-227-6474 or allergyresearchnurse@luriechildrens.org
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FAACT's Digital Influencer Summit! It will be held in Oak Brook! This event is for everyone! Register now! | |
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FASI Webinar Series
The FASI Food For Thought webinar series will have an exciting new webinar lineup in the Fall. In the meantime, catch up on past webinars below. Watch here.
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RESEARCH UPDATES & OPPORTUNITIES | |
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RESEARCH PARTICIPANTS NEEDED TO UNDERSTAND CHALLENGES AND BENEFITS OF OIT
PURPOSE: This study will explore the experiences of parents whose children are undergoing OIT to treat a food allergy, including factors that influenced your decision to have your child undergo OIT as well as the benefits of, and any difficulties with, the treatment. Participants in the study will be invited to participate in a one-on-one interview over Zoom.
ELIGIBILITY: Parents or guardians of children who are participating in OIT are welcome to participate in this study.
BENEFITS: Participants will be compensated with a $30 voucher for Amazon for participating in an interview.
CONTACT: If you would like to participate in this study or have any questions about it, please click this link.
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Uncovering the mysteries of food allergies and developing cutting-edge methods to treat them is the mission of the new scientific advisory council, Marc E. Rothenberg, MD, PhD, director of the division of allergy and immunology at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. Read more. | |
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Do you have questions about food allergy treatment with oral immunotherapy (OIT)?
Latitude Food Allergy Care, clinics 100% focused on food allergy testing and treatment, offers weekly virtual Office Hours open to the community to learn more about OIT.
Every Friday, 11:30am-12:30pm Central Time
Ask About OIT Open Office Hours
On zoom: tinyurl.com/AskAboutOIT
Hosted by Julie Bitler, Latitude co-founder and mother of two food allergic children. Julie has supported hundreds of families evaluating treatment and going through OIT. She will share her experience and OIT tips, address concerns, and answer any non-medical questions.*
Latitude has clinics in California and New York, and welcomes patients from across the country. Learn more at LatitudeFoodAllergyCare.com
*Medical providers do not participate in Office Hours. All discussions are non-medical and should not be considered medical advice.
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We are writing to share with you the details of a clinical trial that is currently enrolling patients.
Clinical trials help researchers learn about new treatments and they enable participants to take an active role in their healthcare, access new treatments, and contribute to medical research.
To learn more about clinical trials, please visit clinicaltrials.gov.
Sincerely,
The American Partnership for Eosinophilic Disorders
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What should I know about the DESTINY study?
- To be eligible for this study, participants must:
- Be at least 18 years of age or older
- Have a diagnosis of HES
- Have a history of 2 or more flares within the past 12 months
- This study will consist of at least 18 visits (in-clinic or remotely) over a period of up to 56 weeks plus a follow-up phone call 4 weeks after the final visit (additional visits may be necessary for HES flares)
- Participants will receive either the investigational drug (depemokimab) or a placebo during the study while continuing their usual medications
- The health and safety of participants will be monitored throughout the study
- Participant data and information will be kept confidential
- Study participants will receive all study-related procedures and the study drug at no cost
To learn more about the DESTINY study, please visit www.gskdestinystudy.com.
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First infants enrolled in M-SIBS study
Three babies born in the last few weeks have become the first infant participants in the innovative M-SIBS study at the Mary H. Weiser Food Allergy Center.
The births of the two girls and one boy at U-M’s health system are welcome milestones in the study, a long-range project that will follow infants (and their family members) from birth onward, to help decipher who develops food allergy, and why.
The project, formally the Michigan Sibling Immunity Birth Study (M-SIBS), has been gearing up for nearly a year, and researchers are delighted that recruiting efforts are paying off.
“It’s been quite a month,” said Libby Brooks, M-SIBS project manager. A total of seven expectant (or recently delivered) mothers are currently enrolled, Brooks said. The ground-breaking study plan calls for up to 1,000 enrollees over the next few years.
To qualify, the infants must be delivered at the University of Michigan health system and have one first-degree relative (parent, sibling) with an atopic disease such as asthma, seasonal allergies, or eczema. They’ll be followed to age three, periodically meeting with researchers to provide samples and health updates.
Parents and siblings also will give samples on one occasion. Families will be visited at home and surveyed periodically about health and environmental factors. Participating families will benefit either by having food allergy ruled out, or accurately diagnosed at an early stage in the child’s development, so that parents can take appropriate precautions.
For more about joining the M-SIBS study, click here.
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Breaking news!!!! The FDA has just approved “Neffy”, an epinephrine nasal spray used for treatment of allergic reactions. This new needle free medication is ground breaking for all of those in the food allergy community.
Read the Article Here!
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Our documentary, Allergic House: Welcome to the Real World premiered on October 14th, 2023 at the FARE Summit in Orlando, Florida.
Watch Here!
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Australia is launching a groundbreaking program to treat babies w/ peanut allergies by building their immunity through controlled doses of peanut powder. This first-of-its-kind national model could be a game changer in preventing severe allergic reactions.
Learn more Here!
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Several families have filed lawsuits against restaurants in Florida after they say they suffered a food allergy. Reporter Sophia Hernandez talks to experts about who’s responsible & who’s protected when it comes to food allergies at restaurants.
Read more here!
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What a Food Allergy Helicopter Mom Wants to Know?
Read Here!
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A study analyzing data on over 38K children found that 7.6% of kids in the US have food allergies. Beyond quantifying prevalence of the most common childhood food allergies by top allergen (peanut is #1,) the study also uncovered some concerning statistics.
Read more here!
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Meet 4 Colleges Taking ‘Allergy-Friendly’ Food to the Next Level
Read Here!
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Our workshops set out to educate and entertain you, your friends, family, or coworkers, in one of a kind in person or virtual baking experiences, that focus on how a few simple ingredients can bring people together and create delicious memories.
Learn more here!
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Joy of Eating Nutrition is your personalized nutrition counselor specializing in Functional
Nutrition and Food Allergy Management. As a certified FARE Food Allergy Specialist and mom of three food allergic children, plus EoE, food allergy management is not just Jennifer's passion but a necessity. Learn more!
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PODCASTS + WEBINARS + INSTA LIVE | |
EOS Connection
Check out all the recorded presentations from the patient education conference. Watch here!
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Food Allergy Talk
Listen to the full episode here!
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The Influencer Life with Lauren Less
Listen here!
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Future of Food Allergy Treatment
The food allergy treatment landscape is rapidly evolving due to recent immunotherapy and biologic advances, which could help optimize outcomes for our patients.
Listen here!
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The Importance of Building a Community for College
Discover how a supportive community can make all the difference. Tune in to our podcast episode with Dr. G, Kortney, and Dr. Ruchi Gupta.
Listen here!
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Ask the Insider— Inside allergies in sports
Watch it here!
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FARE’s online tool simplifies your search for clinical trials to treat food allergy and some related conditions.
A service of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), this website is a registry and database of publicly and privately supported clinical studies.
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FOOD ALLERGY FRIENDLY COMPANIES | |
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Enjoy Life's Chocolate
Looking for the smooth richness of milk chocolate, without the milk? Our vegan Rice-milk Chocolate bar is the answer! Made with dairy-free rice milk, it is nut-free, soy-free, and allergy friendly.
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88 Acres
The seed bars are Perfect for back to college They make a great snack or treat!
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OWYN
Protein shakes with allergen-friendly ingredients, a multi-source plant protein blend, superfood greens, and vegan omega-3s. Rich & decadent in flavor, ideal for on-the-go.
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Liam's
Frozen single-serve meals free of the top allergens in over 50 grocery stores (mainly in Minnesota) ll ready to eat in less than 4 minutes!
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Hungry Harry's Baking Mixes
Hungry Harry's is on a mission to produce foods free from the 14 food groups that account for over 90% of food allergies - while crafting them to taste better than anything else out there. Our manufacturing facility is 100% free of the Top 14 too.
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Safe and Fair
Try Safe and Fair's Binge Watching Buttery Seasoned Popcorn! Settling in for a marathon movie night or binge-watching your favorite TV series calls for some serious eating!
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Foodini
Foodini’s DietaryAI and accurate tagged ingredient-level data supervised by our registered dieticians, help restaurant and food service providers to provide digital menus that auto-customize to a diners personal dietary profile; making it easy not only to find the right restaurant but also to understand exactly what dishes are suitable in seconds.
**If you are interested in learning more or know any investors, please reach out to dylan@getfoodini.com
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Blake's
Try the NEW Breakfast Bars! These are allergen-friendly, vegan and gluten-free. Get 10% off your first purchase
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Allergy Mom Video: Making Top 9-Free Pumpkin Scones
Try out this recipe for Fall!
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From coast to coast, 10 City Guides from California to Maine!
SpokinAmbassadors and friends are on the move this summer and shared a ton of safe eats on the Spokin app. We’ve turned their reviews into Spokin Travel Guides including Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Chicago, Saugatuck, New Buffalo, Nantucket, Pawleys Island, Portland, and Kauai.
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Allergic Living
Link here!
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Allergy Amulet
Link here!
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Allergy Awesomeness!
Link here!
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Camp Blue Spruce
Link here!
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Cincinnati Children's Hospital
Link here!
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Food Allergy Fund
Link here!
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Food Allergy Science Initiative
Link here!
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Food Equality Initiative
Link here!
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Kyah Rayne Foundation
Link here!
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Kids with Food Allergies
Link here!
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Utah Food Allergy Network
Link here!
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We love FALL!
We hope your school year is off to a great start! As a part of MOCHA we've learned how to advocate for ourselves, and we are all passionate about supporting others with food allergies. It is important that your teachers and professors understand your allergies. Take some time to review your individual healthcare plan and check out our tips below!
We are excited to have some new interns join MOCHA!
Denise and Anne at MOCHA both have helped us to learn even more about the food allergy community, and further explore allergy-related opportunities. Be sure to check out the work we are doing!
Thanks for reading through our 2024 Fall E-News!
-The MOCHA Interns
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Thank you to our E-News designer and editor, Annie Siebenaler from CFAAR! | |
MOCHA Interns Back to School | | |
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Rhea Sridhara
Junior at the University of Michigan allergic to tree nuts.
My tip for back to school with allergies is to check your university’s dining hall menu ahead of time to filter out what foods might have possible allergens so you can be prepared before you sit down to eat!
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Lindy Winkler
Senior at Glenbrook North High School allergic to peanuts, tree nuts, beef and pectin.
My tip for back to school with allergies is to ask your teachers and friends for support!
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Ryan Smith
Senior at WashU allergic to tree nuts.
Check-out our upcoming MOCHA Webinars for the best tips and support!
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Kethan Bajaj
Senior at Northwestern University allergic to nothing, but my brother has food allergies.
My back to school tip is to tell your roommate where your epinephrine auto-injectors are so they can assist if you are having an allergic reaction. Also, notify the dining staff of your food allergies so they can better prepare to serve you safely.
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Matthew Chu
Junior at Chantilly High School allergic to Strawberries, Pineapple, and Cashews.
Bring your favorite allergy friendly snacks to school!
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Julia Auerbach
Senior at Northwestern University with Celiac Disease.
My tip is to try gluten free restaurants with friends!
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Check out CAFAE! CAFAE is an on-campus club with the mission of improving the lives of students with food allergies and related conditions. | | |
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MOCHA congratulates Denison University for being such a great food allergy friendly college. In their dining hall they have “All Good” food stations free of the top 9 allergens. Food that is free of the top 9 allergens is served from yellow pots with large purple utensils, so they are easily identifiable!
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MOCHA is a group of parents sharing information and supporting each other. Check out our website for the most current news, support and resources. Click the sign up link to be added to our email distribution! | |
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Follow us on social media! | |
Have suggestions?
Do you have amazing content we should add to our e-news or website? Please let us know! Connect with us on facebook @MOCHAallergies and Instagram @MOCHAllergies!
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Disclaimer: M.O.C.H.A. is not a professional or medical organization. It is a group of parents sharing information and supporting each other. The discussions, meeting minutes, handouts, speakers, agendas, and other products of our support group do not constitute medical and/or legal advice and should not be relied upon as such. Always discuss individual health questions and medical issues with a qualified personal physician. | | | | |
