Massive study aims to unlock secrets of food allergies
NCT ID NCT02504853
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Sep 17, 2026 · Updated 9 times
Summary
This study looks at the causes and effects of food allergies and related conditions like eczema and eosinophilic esophagitis. Researchers will collect blood, skin, and genetic samples from up to 1,800 people over many years. The goal is to find biomarkers and pathways that explain why food allergies develop and how they change over time.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Participants
-
About 1,800 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
-
Jul 2015
- Expected to finish
-
Jun 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
-
A government research agency
The lead sponsor is the US National Institutes of Health.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
Who is studied
primary clinical
- Ages
-
1 day to 99 years
- Sex
-
Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
-
Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
* GENERAL INCLUSION CRITERIA: All participants must meet the following criteria: 1. Be 2 to 99 years-old at the time of enrollment for participants who will be seen at the NIH CC; be 0 (newborn) to 99 years-old at the time of enrollment for participants who will submit mail-in samples or participate in telehealth visits. Only viable neonates will be enrolled. 2. Willing to allow storage of blood, buccal swabs, saliva, nasal swabs, stool samples, and other clinically appropriate tissue specimens for future use in medical research 3. Required to have a primary care or other physician who will manage all health conditions related or unrelated to the study objectives ADDITIONAL INCLUSION CRITERIA FOR AFFECTED PARTICIPANTS In addition to the general criteria listed above, affected participants must meet 1 of the following criteria: 1. Have a clinical history of an immediate hypersensitivity reaction to food(s) and be sensitized to food allergen(s) (as evidenced by positive SPT or allergen-specific IgE testing) 2. Be sensitized (as evidenced by positive SPT or allergen-specific IgE testing) to food allergen(s) but have no overt clinical history of IgE-mediated symptoms when they eat that food(s) 3. Have a suspected genetic or congenital disorder potentially associated with food allergy or related condition, as determined by the principal investigator (PI) or associate investigators (AIs) 4. Have a diagnosis of eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE), or clinical suspicion for EoE as determined by the principal investigator (PI) or associate investigators (AIs) 5. Have a history of atopic dermatitis based on self-report or physician assessment. ADDITIONAL INCLUSION CRITERIA FOR UNAFFECTED RELATIVES: In addition to the general criteria listed above, unaffected relatives must meet the following criteria: 1. Be a relative of an affected participant 2. Be unaffected by food allergy (as determined by clinical history and/or allergy testing) or be unaffected by the genetic condition under study ADDITIONAL INCLUSION CRITERIA FOR HEALTHY VOLUNTEERS In addition to the general criteria listed above, healthy volunteers must meet the following criteria: 1. Be unrelated to an affected participant 2. Be unaffected by food allergy (as determined by clinical history and/or allergy testing) or be unaffected by the genetic condition under study ADDITIONAL PROCEDURE- SPECIFIC INCLUSION CRITERIA: The following additional inclusion criteria apply for participants undergoing leukapheresis: 1. Age \>= 18 years 2. Stable hematologic parameters (definition: white blood cell count \> 2,500/microL, hemoglobin \> 10 g/dL, and platelet count \> 75,000/microL) GENERAL EXCLUSION CRITERIA: Participants will be excluded for any of the following: * Presence of conditions that, in the judgment of the investigator or the referring physician, may put the participant at undue risk or make them unsuitable for participation in the study. * Inability to participate for the duration of the study. * The PI deems that participation in the study would not be expected to advance the study goals. ADDITIONAL PROCEDURE- SPECIFIC EXCLUSION CRITERIA Additional exclusion criteria apply for unaffected relatives and healthy volunteers who are undergoing endoscopy with biopsies for research purposes. Unaffected relatives and healthy volunteers will be excluded from participating in this procedure if they meet any of the following criteria: 1. uncontrolled asthma or Grade 3 or higher by the American Society of Anesthesiologist s Physical Status Classification System (https://journals.lww.com/anesthesiologyopen/fulltext/2026/04000/american\_society\_of\_anesthesiologists\_statement\_on.2.aspx) 2. history of adverse reaction to conscious sedation or general anesthesia required for endoscopy 3. hemoglobin \< 11 g/dL 4. platelet count \< 100,000 microL 5. PT INR \>1.3 or PTT prolonged by \> 3 seconds 6. pregnant or breastfeeding 7. viral screens positive for HIV or hepatitis B or C 8. severe unstable myocardial ischemia or cardiomyopathy 9. severe hypoxemia due to chronic pulmonary disease 10. recent abdominal surgery 11. anticoagulant therapy that cannot be interrupted 12. history of reflux disease within the last 3 years or use of acid-suppression medication (including over-the-counter medications such as Tums, Rolaids, Zantac, Prilosec OTC, or Prevacid OTC) within the last 2 months 13. chronic GI or immunologic disease 14. clinically indicated EGD or colonoscopy within the past 12 months 15. use of systemic or inhaled corticosteroids within the past 4 months 16. have a history of EGID including EoE 17. younger than 18 years of age
Get updates
Get notified about this study
Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Atopic dermatitis are added.
Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor
Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
-
The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
-
The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
-
A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
-
National Institutes of Health Clinical Center
RECRUITINGBethesda, Maryland, 20892, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Skin scans may predict who responds to dupilumab for eczema
- Can a daily liquid medicine calm severe eczema in toddlers and preschoolers?
- Scientists probe whether lebrikizumab rewires diseased skin at the molecular level
- Can a new injection tame wheat allergy?
- Can a Lab-Made antibody calm severe eczema?
- Is your nose fueling infected eczema and scabies sores?