When a patient has an unusual immune dysfunction, a few generalized therapies — steroid medications, for instance — are given to try to quiet the problem.


When a patient has an unusual immune dysfunction, a few generalized therapies — steroid medications, for instance — are given to try to quiet the problem.
Soon there will be a new superhero children’s book available, but these superheroes aren’t from Marvel comics. The book, Rose’s Superhero Birthday: An Immune Cell Treasure Hunt, is about the immune cell superheroes that keep us healthy.
Silicon Valley entrepreneur and philanthropist Sean Parker has announced that he is donating $24 million to establish an allergy research center at Stanford. Scientists at the Sean N. Parker Center for Allergy Research at Stanford University will study the underlying mechanisms of all types of allergies in children and adults and will aim to develop lasting allergy cures.
Groundbreaking food allergy research at Stanford University School of Medicine and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford has received a major boost through the creation of a challenge grant by Jeff and MacKenzie Bezos. Severe food allergies are a growing epidemic, with rates having doubled in the last decade. One out of every 13 children is affected, and over 30 percent are thought to have allergies to more than one food.
Caitlin Burns was born with an immune deficiency and pseudo-obstruction of the gastrointestinal tract, a life-threatening condition that prevents the normal movement of food through her intestines. Packard specialists have been caring for her since she was an infant.