UNC Food Allergy Program
Official title: UNC Food Allergy Initiative
Funded at Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill · NIH-11284055 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project will run clinical trials testing new treatments to help children and adults with food allergies.
Quick facts
| Grant type | U01 cooperative agreement |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Chapel Hill, United States) |
| Project start | March 13, 2024 |
| Project end | February 28, 2031 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $390,000 |
| NIH project number | 5U01AI182033-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11284055 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are people (children and adults) with diagnosed food allergies who meet the study criteria and can attend visits at UNC or participating CoFAR sites.
✕Less likely to help
People without confirmed food allergies, those unable to travel to study locations, or those with exclusionary medical conditions may not be eligible or likely to benefit.
What this research studies
At UNC you would join a network of clinics (CoFAR) running multi-center, randomized, placebo-controlled trials and smaller center-specific projects. Participants are randomly assigned to receive an active treatment or a placebo and will have scheduled clinic visits, allergy tests, and sample collection to track symptoms and safety. The center also trains junior investigators and builds research capacity to start and run future trials that may benefit people with food allergy.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to safer and more effective treatments and improved care for people with food allergies.
How similar studies have gone: Previous CoFAR and other food allergy clinical trials (including immunotherapy approaches) have shown promising results, though more research is needed to expand and refine treatments.
Where this research is happening
-
Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Kim, Edwin — Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill
- Study coordinator: Kim, Edwin
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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New Horizons in preventing and treating food allergy
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New Horizons in Food Allergy Prevention and Treatment
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Food allergy outcomes by race/ethnicity from infancy through adolescence
This study follows children with food allergies over time to understand how race and ethnicity relate to allergy management, outcomes, and quality of life.
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Gut-brain links in food allergy responses
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Targeting gut microbes to restore food-tolerance in adults
Aims to understand how gut bacteria and the lining of the gut interact to keep people with food allergies tolerant to what they eat.
-
Environment and early-life exposures shaping food allergy in children
This grant looks at how a child’s first year and their home environment may influence whether they develop food allergies, focusing on indoor exposures and microbes.
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.