Custom genetically engineered mice for food allergy
Official title: Transgenic Core
Funded at Food Allergy Science Initiative, INC. · NIH-11322736 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This program creates specially modified mice to help scientists better understand and develop treatments for food allergies.
Quick facts
| Grant type | P01 program project |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Food Allergy Science Initiative, INC. NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Cambridge, United States) |
| Project start | May 14, 2024 |
| Project end | April 30, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $345,800 |
| NIH project number | 5P01AI179273-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11322736 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People with food allergies or those at high risk for allergic reactions are the group most likely to benefit from discoveries enabled by these models.
✕Less likely to help
Patients without food allergies or whose conditions are unrelated to immune or genetic mechanisms are unlikely to directly benefit from this mouse-model work.
What this research studies
From a patient's point of view, this core makes and maintains genetically engineered mice that let researchers turn specific genes on or off in particular cell types. The team uses CRISPR and traditional embryonic stem cell methods to create knockin, knockout, and recombinase-driver mouse lines, and can work in strains important for food allergy like BALB/c. They also cryopreserve embryos or sperm so valuable mouse lines can be stored and later revived. These mouse models are used by the food allergy projects to study how genes and cells drive allergic responses and to test potential interventions.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: These mouse models could speed discovery of the biological causes of food allergy and help identify new treatments or prevention strategies.
How similar studies have gone: Genetically engineered mouse models and CRISPR-based approaches are well-established and have previously helped reveal mechanisms and guide therapies for allergic and immune diseases.
Where this research is happening
-
Food Allergy Science Initiative, INC.
Cambridge, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Lowell, Bradford B — Food Allergy Science Initiative, INC.
- Study coordinator: Lowell, Bradford B
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
How gut nerves and immune cells interact in food allergy
This project looks at how contacts between gut nerves, immune cells, and hormone-producing gut cells affect allergic reactions to food for people with food allergies.
-
How mast cells trigger gut lining and nerve responses in food allergy
This project looks at how immune cells called mast cells change the gut lining and nerves in people with food allergies.
-
How nerves and the immune system cause food allergy symptoms
This project explores how nerves and the immune system cause the symptoms people with food allergies feel, like nausea, breathing changes, and low blood pressure.
-
Food allergy data hub
A centralized team will build online tools to analyze genetic and imaging data to help researchers studying food allergies and the people they treat.
-
How the nerves and immune system affect food allergies
Researchers are looking at how the nervous system and immune system interact in people with food allergies to find better ways to prevent and treat reactions.
-
Investigating how nerve and immune cells interact during food allergies
This study is looking at how nerve and immune cells in the gut work together when someone has a food allergy, hoping to find new ways to help manage and treat these allergies so that patients can better understand their reactions and feel better.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.