The Proof Is in the Pudding: Update on Food Allergy

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION: It is tedious work to keep up with all that is new in food allergy. This session asks the presenters to explore the controversies surrounding food allergy by discussing an illustrative case.

Initially, the focus will be on how we develop tolerance to food, why this process fails, and how an allergen is exposed/presented to the body plays a critical role in these events. The presenters will also take the audience through the groundbreaking Learning Early About Peanut allergy
(LEAP) study, discussing the results, and what they mean to parents and physicians. They will review the Addendum Guidelines for Prevention of Peanut Allergy in the U.S. The audience will be brought up to date on the current recommendations for introduction of allergenic foods.

The session will also focus on research on specific immunotherapy for food allergies, most notable peanut, including oral immunotherapy,
sublingual immunotherapy, and epicutaneous immunotherapy, with discussion on the first therapy approved by the FDA for the treatment of food allergies. We will also discuss the role of biologics in treating food allergies.

For the discussion, the presenters will identify controversies in food allergy and they will create a scenario that they will present as a means to explore these controversies. This will be a very interactive, engaging, and fun session for both the attendees and the presenters.