@article{3002989,
    title = "Research needs in allergy: An EAACI position paper, in collaboration with EFA",
    author = "Papadopoulos, N.G. and Agache, I. and Bavbek, S. and Bilo, B.M. and Braido, F. and Cardona, V. and Custovic, A. and DeMonchy, J. and Demoly, P. and Eigenmann, P. and Gayraud, J. and Grattan, C. and Heffler, E. and Hellings, P.W. and Jutel, M. and Knol, E. and Lötvall, J. and Muraro, A. and Poulsen, L.K. and Roberts, G. and Schmid-Grendelmeier, P. and Skevaki, C. and Triggiani, M. and VanRee, R. and Werfel, T. and Flood, B. and Palkonen, S. and Savli, R. and Allegri, P. and Annesi-Maesano, I. and Annunziato, F. and Antolin-Amerigo, D. and Apfelbacher, C. and Blanca, M. and Bogacka, E. and Bonadonna, P. and Bonini, M. and Boyman, O. and Brockow, K. and Burney, P. and Buters, J. and Butiene, I. and Calderon, M. and Cardell, L.O. and Caubet, J.-C. and Celenk, S. and Cichocka-Jarosz, E. and Cingi, C. and Couto, M. and DeJong, N. and Del Giacco, S. and Douladiris, N. and Fassio, F. and Fauquert, J.-L. and Fernandez, J. and Rivas, M.F. and Ferrer, M. and Flohr, C. and Gardner, J. and Genuneit, J. and Gevaert, P. and Groblewska, A. and Hamelmann, E. and Hoffmann, H.J. and Hoffmann-Sommergruber, K. and Hovhannisyan, L. and Hox, V. and Jahnsen, F.L. and Kalayci, Ö. and Kalpaklioglu, A.F. and Kleine-Tebbe, J. and Konstantinou, G. and Kurowski, M. and Lau, S. and Lauener, R. and Lauerma, A. and Logan, K. and Magnan, A. and Makowska, J. and Makrinioti, H. and Mangina, P. and Manole, F. and Mari, A. and Mazon, A. and Mills, C. and Mingomataj, E.Ç. and Niggemann, B. and Nilsson, G. and Ollert, M. and O'Mahony, L. and O'Neil, S. and Pala, G. and Papi, A. and Passalacqua, G. and Perkin, M. and Pfaar, O. and Pitsios, C. and Quirce, S. and Raap, U. and Raulf-Heimsoth, M. and Rhyner, C. and Robson-Ansley, P. and Alves, R.R. and Roje, Z. and Rondon, C. and Rudzeviciene, O. and Ruëff, F. and Rukhadze, M. and Rumi, G. and Sackesen, C. and Santos, A.F. and Santucci, A. and Scharf, C. and Schmidt-Weber, C. and Schnyder, B. and Schwarze, J. and Senna, G. and Sergejeva, S. and Seys, S. and Siracusa, A. and Skypala, I. and Sokolowska, M. and Spertini, F. and Spiewak, R. and Sprikkelman, A. and Sturm, G. and Swoboda, I. and Terreehorst, I. and Toskala, E. and Traidl-Hoffmann, C. and Venter, C. and Vlieg-Boerstra, B. and Whitacker, P. and Worm, M. and Xepapadaki, P. and Akdis, C.A.",
    journal = "Clinical and Translational Allergy",
    year = "2012",
    volume = "2",
    number = "1",
    publisher = "BioMed Central Ltd.",
    doi = "10.1186/2045-7022-2-21",
    keywords = "cytokine, air pollution;  airborne particle;  allergy;  asthma;  biotechnology;  childhood;  chronic disease;  clinical practice;  dietary intake;  disease exacerbation;  disease severity;  drug hypersensitivity;  environmental factor;  epidemiological data;  eye allergy;  food allergy;  health care organization;  health service;  helper cell;  human;  immune response;  immunology;  immunotherapy;  infection;  insect sting;  international cooperation;  molecular biology;  nonhuman;  nutrition;  occupational allergy;  pathophysiology;  patient reported outcome;  phenotype;  priority journal;  Review;  rhinitis;  skin allergy;  sport;  treatment outcome",
    abstract = "In less than half a century, allergy, originally perceived as a rare disease, has become a major public health threat, today affecting the lives of more than 60 million people in Europe, and probably close to one billion worldwide, thereby heavily impacting the budgets of public health systems. More disturbingly, its prevalence and impact are on the rise, a development that has been associated with environmental and lifestyle changes accompanying the continuous process of urbanization and globalization. Therefore, there is an urgent need to prioritize and concert research efforts in the field of allergy, in order to achieve sustainable results on prevention, diagnosis and treatment of this most prevalent chronic disease of the 21st century. The European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) is the leading professional organization in the field of allergy, promoting excellence in clinical care, education, training and basic and translational research, all with the ultimate goal of improving the health of allergic patients. The European Federation of Allergy and Airways Diseases Patients' Associations (EFA) is a non-profit network of allergy, asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder (COPD) patients' organizations. In support of their missions, the present EAACI Position Paper, in collaboration with EFA, highlights the most important research needs in the field of allergy to serve as key recommendations for future research funding at the national and European levels. Although allergies may involve almost every organ of the body and an array of diverse external factors act as triggers, there are several common themes that need to be prioritized in research efforts. As in many other chronic diseases, effective prevention, curative treatment and accurate, rapid diagnosis represent major unmet needs. Detailed phenotyping/endotyping stands out as widely required in order to arrange or re-categorize clinical syndromes into more coherent, uniform and treatment-responsive groups. Research efforts to unveil the basic pathophysiologic pathways and mechanisms, thus leading to the comprehension and resolution of the pathophysiologic complexity of allergies will allow for the design of novel patient-oriented diagnostic and treatment protocols. Several allergic diseases require well-controlled epidemiological description and surveillance, using disease registries, pharmacoeconomic evaluation, as well as large biobanks. Additionally, there is a need for extensive studies to bring promising new biotechnological innovations, such as biological agents, vaccines of modified allergen molecules and engineered components for allergy diagnosis, closer to clinical practice. Finally, particular attention should be paid to the difficult-to-manage, precarious and costly severe disease forms and/or exacerbations. Nonetheless, currently arising treatments, mainly in the fields of immunotherapy and biologicals, hold great promise for targeted and causal management of allergic conditions. Active involvement of all stakeholders, including Patient Organizations and policy makers are necessary to achieve the aims emphasized herein. © 2012 Papadopoulos et al."
}