Who We Help
The Ilhan Foundation helps people with food allergies and anaphylaxis by:
- Raising money to invest in Australian medical research with a strong clinical focus
- Facilitating and strengthening internationalonal research collaborations in allergy and immunology
- Encouraging State and Federal Governments to invest in improving lives of people with allergies through appropriate targeted activities
- Raising awareness of allergies through Media
- Providing approved curriculum for Victorian school children
Funded Research Programs
Vaccine for Peanut Allergy
The Alfred Hospital Melbourne
The Ilhan Foundation continues to support Prof Robyn O'Hehir's research into a vaccine for peanut allergy. So far the Ilhan Food Allergy Foundation has contributed almost $500,000 funding this research. Prof O'Hehir proposes to extend her existing peptide research which investigates a treatment for peanut allergies, to determine whether this therapy has potential to also treat people with tree nut and sesame allergies. The Ilhan Food Allergy Foundation also gratefully acknowledges the support of the Gandel Foundation in encouraging this.
Egg allergy: promoting, predicting and characterizing oral tolerance
Department of Immunology, Princess Margaret Hospital, Western Australia
Researchers: Michaela Lucas, Susan Prescott, Debbie Palmer
The Princess Margaret Hospital was awarded a grant in 2011 to investigate the role to investigate the role of early introduction of egg in a child's life and whether it may rove to be part of a protective strategy against egg allergy.
BEAT: Beating Egg Allergy Trial
Children's Hospital at Westmead
Dr Alyson Kakakios was awarded a grant in 2010 towards her research aimed at determining whether early introduction of egg into the diets of infants at 4 months of age with high risk of atopic disease is associated with a decrease in egg sensitisation and clinical egg allergy.
Understanding the Growing Incidence of Food Allergies in Australia
John James Medical Centre
Dr Raymond Mullins was awarded grants in both 2010 and 2011 to complete and publish his research investigating whether the birth month, geographic remoteness and socioeconomic status have an impact on the incidence of food allergy in Australia.
Latest Research Findings
Associate Professor Katie Allen’s "Health Nuts" research funded by the Ilhan Foundation, has demonstrated that Australian infants have the highest prevalence of challenge-proven allergies and senstisation to egg (7%) and peanuts (2%) of all Westernised countries. Associate Professor Allen's research confirms a substantial increase in prevalence since studies in 1990's, and continues to seek newly identified environmental factors that may impact on the increased risk of allergy. Published Data will be available in the near future.