Fight against allergies, asthma gets big boost
[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/allergen2012.jpg” caption=”Minister Gary Goodyear (middle) studies a cord blood sample, along with AllerGen’s scientific director and CEO Judah Denburg (left) and research technician Delia Heroux (right) in the Denburg Laboratory. Goodyear announced $36.5M in renewed funding for AllerGen’s work treating allergies at an event held Friday.”]The battle against allergic and immune diseases has received a $36.5 million boost
from the federal government.
Gary Goodyear, Minister of State for Science and Technology announced at McMaster
Friday that the renewed federal funding will flow, over the next seven years, to the
AllerGen Network of Centres of Excellence. The network, headquartered at McMaster, is
made up of almost 200 researchers from 23 universities and organizations.
“These diseases cause a lot of suffering and create an immense economic burden,”
Goodyear said. “AllerGen NCE has already had a very positive impact on Canada's ability
to understand and prevent these illnesses and to improve care for patients.”
The funding will allow researchers to pin down underlying causes, develop new
treatments and prevention methods for people living with allergies, asthma and
anaphylaxis.
Judah Denburg, scientific director and chief executive officer of AllerGen NCE and
professor in the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine, said his team will work in the
next seven years to decrease the burden of allergic and immune disease on Canadian's
productivity and economic growth and lead major Canadian innovation and
commercialization.
“We will be recognized globally,” he said.
The program is managed by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, the
Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research
Council, in partnership with Industry Canada.
McMaster's President Patrick Deane said it's an honour to be the host institution of
AllerGen – a network which shares a similar philosophy on research.
“We're aligned in our thinking and approach to research through innovation and
multidisciplinary collaborations,” he said. “The blend of talent and expertise within
AllerGen is second to none and their collective work will improve the health and well-
being of many Canadians.”
Goodyear added that AllerGen has already had notable successes with improving
asthma diagnosis and treatments, unravelling the genetic connections to allergies and
asthma and revealing the impact of environmental and socio-economic factors on the
development of the human immune system.
He commended the work of the researchers to treat allergies not only for the benefit of
millions of affected Canadians but for those around the world by putting their practices
and applications into the world marketplace.
