Food Allergy Science Initiative and Vie Ventures Announce Strategic Collaboration to Accelerate Progress Toward a Cure for Food Allergies

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Food Allergy Science Initiative (FASI) today announced that it has joined Vie Ventures as a strategic collaborator. FASI will join Vie Ventures’ growing network of Strategic Collaborators, bringing world-leading expertise in food allergy and translational science to a collaborative effort aimed at accelerating the development of novel therapies across immune-mediated diseases.

As a Strategic Collaborator, FASI will contribute scientific and clinical expertise to Vie Ventures’ investment and portfolio development activities, help identify emerging opportunities in food allergy and related allergic and type 2 inflammatory diseases, and participate in broader cross-disease collaborations designed to advance therapeutic innovation.

“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 live with food allergies. There is no known cure, and treatment options remain limited. Most patients must rely on strict avoidance. The economic burden 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 of more than 20 world-class laboratories and 100 scientists have launched over 125 research projects, secured a landmark multi-year NIH collaborative grant, and advanced discoveries reshaping food allergy diagnosis and treatment. This grant, coupled with philanthropic investment from FASI donors, continues to catalyze the organization's understanding of food allergies.

Vie Ventures’ Therapeutics Advisory Council convenes leading foundations, industry experts, and investors to advance shared science, reduce development risk, and accelerate cures. FASI joins a network of more than ten leading disease philanthropies, including the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation and National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Through Vie Ventures’ Impact Engine platform, members of the food allergy community have the opportunity to join a broader network of patients, families, philanthropists, scientists, and investors working to accelerate therapeutic innovation. The platform is designed to enable participating families to support FASI’s mission not only through traditional philanthropy, but also through investment gains that may ultimately be directed back to the organization to fund future research and patient impact initiatives.

About FASI

The Food Allergy Science Initiative (FASI) is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit research organization founded in 2016 at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. FASI unites more than 100 scientists across 20+ world-class laboratories working at the intersection of immunology, neuroscience, gastroenterology, microbiology, and computational biology. It is the first organization to bring these disciplines together under a single mission: to understand, treat, and cure food allergies. To date, FASI has launched $50 million in research projects across 126 research projects at institutions including Harvard, Yale, and the Broad Institute. For more information, visit foodallergyscience.org.

About Vie Ventures

Vie Ventures is a life sciences investment firm operating at the intersection of venture capital and disease philanthropy. Vie Ventures invests alongside leading venture capital investors and strategic partners in private biotech companies focused on advancing novel therapeutics for autoimmune disease and other disorders of the immune system. For more information, visit vieventures.com.