Administrative Core

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Food allergy affects over 11 million Americans and is most prevalent in young children, with 6% - 8% of children less than 3 years of age experiencing some form of food hypersensitivty. Milk allergy is the most common cause of food hypersensitivity in infants and young children, typically develops in the first year of life, affects 2.5% of infants in industrialized countries, and is "outgrown" in about 80% of children by 6 years of age. IgE-mediated allergy accounts for about 70% of milk allergic disorders, i.e. 1.8% of young infants, and often is a harbinger of future atopic disorders and other food allergies. Despite an increased understanding of IgE-mediated immunopathology, no successful therapeutic measures have been developed to prevent or reverse food allergies. The overall goal of this Center is to elucidate further underlying immunologic mechanisms of milk allergy and to develop safe and effective forms of therapy. The Administrative Core will facilitate this effort by providing the organizational backbone for this Center, monitoring clincal trials, providing biostatistical support for all projects, and coordinating interactions within and outside the Center, e.g. NIAID, other AADCR Centers and the external Scientific Review Committee. This wll be achieved through the following Specific Aims: Aim #1: Facilitate communication and interaction between Projects 1-3, assist in subject recruitment and retention, and provide clinical monitoring, database support and biostatistical support for all projects. Aim #2: Implement an external Scientific Review Committee with independent experts in the field of food allergy and immunotherapy. Aim #3: Provide mechanisms for communicating with other members of the AADCR Centers. Aim #4: Oversee resource and data sharing between this project and other members of the AADCR Centers. The Administrative Core will provide manegerial support, organizational support for monthly internal project review meetings, quarterly inter-project meetings of Pi's and key personnel, quarterly AADCRC Steering Committee teleconferences, bienniel Scientific Advisory Committee teleconferences, and annual AADCRC PI meetings in Bethesda. The Core will arrange lodging [if nececessary; e.g. external reviewers], meeting rooms and equipment for meetings held at Mount Sinai, and process travel expense reports for reimbursement to scientific and PI annual meetings. The Core will also work with the AADCRC Steering Committee to promote the sharing of data collected as a part of this proposal and of methods, procedures and resources developed in support of this proposal with other members of the AADCRC network.