Food allergy affects over 3 million Canadians, including almost 600,000 children. Researchers are committed to better understanding how to prevent, diagnose, treat, and eventually, cure this medical condition. Learn how you can participate in research studies.
Research: Your voice matters: Participate in a research study on navigating safe food choices for you or your child
We are proud to be part of a global task force with the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) to better understand the challenges faced by individuals and families living with food allergy.
By participating in this quick online survey, your insights will be invaluable in understanding the real-life challenges and concerns that families and individuals face when trying to stay safe. This research will help guide the development of future outreach, and educational and support strategies to address unmet needs. Your experience can help us create meaningful change that will benefit the entire food allergy community.
Take the survey now and make your voice heard! Below, the research team shares more details on the study and how you can participate.
From the research team
We are inviting you to take part in the Survey ‘Keeping safe with food allergy’. It should take 10-30 minutes to complete.
People with food allergy need to avoid the food(s) they are allergic to keep safe. Along with being prepared to deal with potentially serious allergic reactions, making safe food choices is a key part of food allergy management. This can be a daily challenge as many life situations involve food and there are limitations in food labelling and in awareness of food allergy in the community. As a consequence, accidental exposures to food can occur and cause reactions, which can be serious in some people.
A group of healthcare professionals and patient representatives have created a Task Force on Food Allergen Ingestion Risk (‘FAIR’) within the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI). This Task Force is working to better understand the challenges and needs of patients and families living with food allergies when trying to make safe food choices. The ultimate aim of this Task Force is to help make things safer for people living with food allergy.
Please fill in the survey and share your experience in navigating safe food choices for you or your child.
Your involvement is invaluable, and by participating, you are contributing to a safer and more inclusive future.
Research study: Call for participation for children with tree nut allergy
A research study is underway in Hamilton, Ontario. The researchers are seeking children aged 1-16 years who have been diagnosed with tree nut allergy, specifically to cashew, pistachio, walnut, pecan, almond, or hazelnut.
The study is testing different immunotherapies to desensitize a person with tree nut allergy by repeated exposures to very small amounts of tree nut through sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) or low-dose oral immunotherapy (IdOIT). SLIT is when a food allergen is placed under the tongue and OIT is when a food allergen is eaten.
Food Allergy Canada is involved in this research through a patient/caregiver partnership where we provide input on the design of the research, review research outcomes, and ensure the patient perspective is considered.
Following is an announcement from the research team with more details. To learn more about the study and if your child is eligible to participate, complete this form or email eia@mcmaster.ca.
Please share with others whose children have tree nut allergy.
From the research team:
Now enrolling: TRADE study for children with tree nut allergy
Does your child have tree nut allergy and hopes to reduce their reactions to tree nuts? Your child may be eligible for our study to trial treatments for tree nut allergy. TRADE is a randomized trial which uses sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) or low-dose oral immunotherapy (ldOIT) compared with a placebo to assess the ability of different immunotherapies to desensitize tree nut allergy.
Eligibility criteria:
- Children between 1-16 years old
- Diagnosed with tree nut allergy, specifically cashew, pistachio, walnut, pecan, almond, or hazelnut
- Skin prick test of 3mm or greater or a serum tree nut-specific IgE of greater than 0.35kUA/L
- Other eligibility criteria will apply
Participation in the study involves:
- Taking the study treatment for 52 weeks
- At least 10 study visits to the clinic, which is located in McMaster Children’s Hospital, 1200 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON
Potential benefits of this study include:
- Decreasing the participant’s reactivity to tree nuts after accidental ingestion and altering the natural progression of tree nut allergy by modifying the underlying immune response
- The participant may become clinically and immunologically tolerant to the tree nut
- Addressing unmet needs to establish safe tree nut allergy immunotherapy protocols and helping doctors and scientists to better understand food allergy
TRADE is led by Dr. Derek Chu MD PhD FRCPC at McMaster University Hamilton, Ontario and funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, Ontario Medical Association, and Hamilton Health Sciences.
To learn more about TRADE and eligibility criteria, please complete this form or email eia@mcmaster.ca.