FARE Launches $10 Million Mind Meld Team Grant Program to Accelerate Translational Food Allergy Research
核心洞察
FARE is committing up to $10 million over 4 years through its Mind Meld Team Grant Program to speed breakthroughs in food allergy (搜索) from bench to bedside.
The initiative requires multidisciplinary, multi-institution teams using convergence science, merging immunology with fields like engineering, machine learning, and AI.
Funded teams must advance their work into human studies by the midpoint of the 4-year award, with letters of intent due by September 2.
Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE) (搜索) has announced the launch of its Mind Meld Team Grant Program, committing up to $10 million over four years to accelerate translational research in food allergy (搜索). The initiative, designed to move discoveries from the laboratory to patients more rapidly, requires collaboration among multidisciplinary teams spanning multiple institutions and disciplines.
The program represents a significant shift in how food allergy (搜索) research is funded and conducted. Rather than supporting isolated projects, FARE is mandating that funded teams use convergence science—a problem-solving approach that merges life science disciplines such as clinical medicine and immunology with physical sciences including engineering, machine learning, and artificial intelligence.
"We wanted to put significant funding behind this program so physicians, clinicians and researchers can focus on the problem of food allergy (搜索), instead of on the endless cycle of grant writing," said Sung Poblete, PhD, RN, CEO of FARE. "We want people to collaborate, to cooperate and to communicate in real time and stay fully engaged with the problem instead of thinking about where the next round of funding will come from."
A Growing Public Health Emergency
Food allergy (搜索) affects more than 33 million people in the United States, or roughly 1 in 10 adults, and is characterized by FARE as a growing public health emergency. The disease, which involves a serious immune system response, affects individuals differently across allergens and imposes a substantial, often life-altering burden on patients and families.
"For the growing number of patients living with food allergy (搜索) and those who may develop the disease, the need for progress is urgent," Poblete said. "The investment from SNI Global will support the use of a collaborative research model that has proven effective in cancer research and is now being applied to transform the future of food allergy."
Program Structure and Timeline
The Mind Meld Team Grant Program is specifically designed to fund proximal translational research—work positioned to move quickly from bench to bedside. The first years of each award are intended for preclinical investigation, hypothesis testing, and generating early signal-finding data to determine whether an approach merits advancement into human studies. Teams are required to transition into human studies by the midpoint of the four-year award period.
The application process begins with a letter of intent, due September 2. Applicants who pass this initial review phase will be invited to submit a full proposal by December 18. A subset of finalists will then present their projects at an in-person selection meeting in January, with selected teams notified shortly thereafter.
Multidisciplinary Collaboration as a Core Requirement
FARE's insistence on multi-institution, multidisciplinary teams stems from the recognition that no single institution possesses all the necessary expertise to tackle food allergy (搜索) comprehensively. The program was inspired by the Mind Meld Innovation Summit held at MIT in 2025, co-chaired by Nobel laureate Phillip A. Sharp, PhD, alongside M. Cecilia Berin, PhD, and Corinne Keet, MD, PhD. The summit convened immunologists across multiple fields, computational scientists, clinicians, government agencies, and industry partners.
"We're requiring multidisciplinary, multi-institution teams from the outset because we know that no single institution will have all the best and the brightest," Poblete explained. "It's not enough to fund good science in isolation. Food allergy (搜索) needs a structure that pushes discoveries toward patients faster."
Industry Partnerships Bolster the Initiative
The program has already attracted collaborative investment from Soy Nutrition Institute Global (SNI Global) (搜索) and U.S. Soy (搜索). SNI Global, which identifies, develops, and funds research on soy's impact on human health, has made a multi-year commitment to support the Mind Meld initiative, subject to periodic review and alignment with governance processes.
"Food allergy (搜索) is a complex and growing disease that demands bold, coordinated action," said Julie Ohmen, CEO of SNI Global. "FARE's Mind Meld initiative has the potential to improve the lives of patients while strengthening confidence in the foods and agricultural systems that nourish communities around the world."
The program is also innovating funding partnerships by bringing together organizations including the National Peanut Board (搜索) and Soy Nutrition Institute Global. Poblete emphasized that these are "visionary organizations who know, as we do, that food is not the enemy, the disease is."
Patient-Centered Outcomes at the Forefront
The emphasis on translational impact and patient-centered outcomes reflects FARE's commitment to the lived experience of those affected by food allergy (搜索). "Patients and families living with food allergy don't experience science in the abstract," Poblete said. "They experience how long it takes for a discovery to become an option in the doctor's office, and the Mind Meld Team Grant Program is built to shorten that timeline."
Continued research across allergens remains critical to reducing barriers to safe nutrition and expanding access to trusted food options, with FARE's broader approach encompassing prevention, better diagnosis, and ultimately a cure for food allergy (搜索).