Leadership Center Administration

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Summary Food allergy research has increased dramatically over the past 15 years providing us with potential therapeutic and prevention strategies. The overarching goal of the research agenda proposed in this application is to position CoFAR as the international leader in the study of food allergy, including optimal characterization of the disease and development of the next generation of treatments. The research agenda will be based first and foremost on the best possible science, but to maximize productivity we will also need to plan judiciously so that all available resources can be used to their utmost capacity. Therefore, the research agenda will need to carefully select and stage protocols based not just on their potential to advance the field, but also with careful consideration regarding other novel treatments that may be under development, and how one study may inform the next. Finally, the overall research strategy will also need to balance the work load of the SACCC and each CRU in the consortium. This overall agenda will be accomplished through the following major components: 1) To implement a leadership team capable of providing optimal administration of the Consortium, including financial, operational, and managerial aspects, as well as protocol development and implementation, data collection and analysis, and publications and presentations, with judicious financial management. Dr. Robert Wood will lead this team, with co-PIs Drs. Wesley Burks and Marsha Wills-Karp, who will lead the Biomarker Facility and Opportunity Fund, respectively. The team will also include a financial administrator as well as a highly experienced grants management group at Johns Hopkins. The leadership team will work closely with the NIAID and SACCC, together providing day-to-day management of all clinical operations within the consortium. 2) To develop the necessary committee structure to guide and implement the Consortium’s administrative and clinical operations. 3) To develop a structure of financial management that will make optimal use of all CoFAR funds and resources. 4) To integrate the Biomarker Facility into each clinical protocol. 4) To maximally leverage the resources and potential of the Opportunity Fund to expand the mechanistic study of food allergy and its treatment. It is anticipated that a minimum of 3 protocols, including both clinical trials and non-interventional studies, will be initiated and completed over the seven-year funding period, and this could rise to 5 or even 6 protocols depending on the size, duration, and complexity of each study. If successful, this research agenda will define not just the next 7 years of CoFAR, but will also establish the platform for the next decade(s) of food allergy research.