About AllerGen
There is an epidemic of allergies like asthma, hay fever, eczema, food and pet allergies and life-threatening anaphylaxis facing the industrialized world, and Canada is near the top of the list of nations facing a growing problem. Nearly one in three Canadians now suffers some form of allergic illness. The health care and socio-economic costs are huge and the potential impact on our next generation is extreme.
What's been done about it so far?
Not enough. In 2004, only 129 specialists were practicing in immunology and allergy in Canada (compared, for example, to 998 in cardiology). This translates into one specialist for every quarter million Canadians – for one of the fastest growing disease segments in the country.
We need new researchers – we need new students in doctoral programs. We need to align research and development – we need to unite public and private partners. We need to bring all the scientific disciplines into one network – we need to get solutions to market faster.
We need to mobilize Canadian science to reduce the illness, mortality and socio-economic costs of allergic disease. This is AllerGen's role.