Malaghan scientists tackle New Zealand's food allergy epidemic

The Malaghan Institute of Medical Research is New Zealand's leading vaccine and immunology research centre and is located at Victoria University of Wellington. Scientists at the Institute have received funding from the Health Research Council of New Zealand for two food allergy research projects, with grants totaling NZ$2.4 million.

The funding will be used to develop new food allergy disease models. These models will be used to help develop an understanding of how certain foods set off the allergic immune response and why it only happens in some individuals. The program of research involving these models aims to reveal for the first time the earliest cellular and molecular events involved in sensitising the immune cells in the gut to food allergens. The models will also support further research into the identification of improved strategies for treating food allergy.

New Zealand has among the highest prevalence of allergic disease in the world, with 1 in 5 people affected by food allergy, asthma, eczema or hay fever.

More information about the program of food allergy research and the scientists who were successful in gaining the two Health Research Council of New Zealand grants is available on the Malaghan Institute of Medical Research website.