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Sudden NIH grant application dismissals will halt critical research and directly harm patients supported by CEGIR and other Rare Disease research consortia

MILWAUKEE, April 21, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology () and patient advocacy organizations on Monday called on Congress and the Rare Disease Congressional Caucus to demand the immediate reinstatement of research funding and renewal application for critically important and federally recognized consortia associated with the Rare Disease Clinical Research Network (RDCRN) including the Consortium of Eosinophilic Gastrointestinal Disease Researchers ().

This sudden policy change, and subsequent dismissal of grant funding, will have devastating effects on the allergy/immunology field, destroying vital research directly related to patient care and treatment of allergic and immunologic disease. The organizations urged physicians, researchers and those affected by these grant withdrawals to contact members of Congress and oppose this harmful erasure of medical research funding.

"The withdrawal of the 5-year renewal application for the Consortium of Eosinophilic Gastrointestinal Disease Researchers (CEGIR) jeopardizes critical funding for the only clinical care network for eosinophilic gastroenteritis patients in the United States. The fact that this withdrawal was not due to scientific merit makes it even more egregious. Diagnostic and therapeutic research efforts will be halted, and the collapse of this infrastructure will be devastating to our patients. This is a dangerous national precedent," said Carla M. Davis, MD, FAAAAI, AAAAI President-Elect and Chair of the AAAAI Scientific Community Task Force for Allergy/Immunology Research.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) abruptly withdrew the research funding and renewal application earlier this month. Citing a new policy change and a minor technicality of one paragraph regarding foreign components, the NIH dismissed CEGIR's Cooperative Agreement Grant application.

CEGIR is the global leader in research and treatment of eosinophilic gastrointestinal diseases — chronic inflammatory disorders often triggered by food allergies. This grant dismissal will affect millions of Americans involved in clinical trials and immediately halt life-saving research that supports patients living with these diseases.

"My ability to be a college freshman at NC State University has been made a reality by the clinical research and medical advances made possible by CEGIR and the NIH. Living with EOE is incredibly challenging. Eating safely is not negotiable. It is necessary to live and survive. Because of research and the consortium, I am living a normal life. Please do not take this from me and millions of others. My childhood was filled with procedures, diets and medicines that affected my general wellbeing. I am taking a medication now that allows me to eat, thanks to the direct funding from the NIH and CEGIR. I urge you to do all that you can to continue the funding necessary so that I have the ability to do something most take for granted. Eat," said Will Martin, a patient directly affected by CEGIR research.

The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI) is the leading membership organization of more than 7,100 allergists, asthma specialists, clinical immunologists and other professionals with a special interest in the research and treatment of allergic and immunologic diseases. Established in 1943, the AAAAI is the go-to resource for patients living with allergies, asthma and immune deficiency disorders.

Media Contact

Candace Archie, The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, (414) 272-6071, [email protected], aaaai.org

SOURCE The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology