Cambridge, Mass. — The Food Allergy Science Initiative has joined Vie Ventures as a strategic collaborator in an effort to accelerate the development of new treatments for food allergies and other immune-mediated diseases.
Under the collaboration, FASI will provide scientific and clinical expertise to support Vie Ventures’ investment and portfolio development activities. The organization will also help identify emerging opportunities involving food allergies, allergic diseases and type 2 inflammatory conditions.
“From the beginning, FASI has brought together leading scientific minds working across disciplines, assembling a team of top researchers discovering actionable, cross-disciplinary insights into preventing, treating, and managing food allergies,” said Dr. Erin Straub, director of strategic partnerships and business operations for FASI. “Teaming up with Vie Ventures makes sense and will further accelerate our progress in finding a cure for food allergies.”
Up to 520 million people worldwide are estimated to live with food allergies. There is no known cure, and available treatment options remain limited, leaving many patients dependent on strict avoidance of foods that can trigger reactions. The economic burden associated with food allergies exceeds $4.3 billion.
“The challenges facing patients with food allergies are deeply connected to some of the most important questions in immunology,” said Jeff Bluestone, PhD, Managing Director of Vie Ventures. “FASI has assembled an extraordinary community of scientists and innovators, and we are excited to welcome them into a broader network of disease-focused organizations committed to advancing therapeutic innovation. Each collaborator brings unique expertise and perspectives, and we believe that sharing knowledge across diseases will ultimately accelerate progress for patients throughout the immune-mediated disease community.”
FASI’s network includes more than 20 laboratories and 100 scientists who have launched more than 125 research projects. The organization has also secured a multi-year collaborative grant from the National Institutes of Health to support research into food allergy diagnosis and treatment.
FASI will join more than 10 disease-focused philanthropic organizations in Vie Ventures’ network, including the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation and the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
Vie Ventures’ Therapeutics Advisory Council brings together foundations, industry specialists and investors to share scientific knowledge, reduce drug-development risks and accelerate the development of treatments.
Through Vie Ventures’ Impact Engine platform, patients, families, scientists, philanthropists and investors can participate in efforts to advance therapeutic innovation. The platform also allows participating families to support FASI through investment gains that may later be directed to the organization to fund research and patient-focused initiatives.
