Knowledge Transfer and Social Issues

Sharing Knowledge Brings Economic Benefits

Partnering

One of AllerGen’s top priorities is to create new linkages among academic institutions, hospitals, industry and capital for knowledge and technology transfer. Over the past year AllerGen has partnered with over 80 organizations that span 5 global foci (Canada, USA, Australia, UK and Europe). The Network has also successfully hosted several key networking events and workshops:

The first Annual Research Conference brought together representatives from universities, hospitals, pharmaceutical and life-sciences companies to showcase network-funded research and promote partnerships with industry, governments, academic institutions and other non-profit organizations.
Birth Cohort Development Workshops helped researchers strategically plan how to examine and collect data on multiple risk factors for allergy and asthma in childhood.
AllerGen/ Gage Occupational and Environmental Health Unit Allergy and Asthma Workshop allowed participants to address several key research questions on basic mechanisms, routes of exposure/exposure assessment and clinical manifestations of occupationally acquired allergy or asthma.
AllerGen/ Canadian Asthma, Allergy and Immunology Foundation Non-Profit Summit provided an excellent interface, support and interaction between representatives from non-profit organizations committed to working in the asthma and allergy research and public information sector.

Socio-Economic Benefits

AllerGen encourages investigators to seek patent protection on innovations discovered in their research laboratories. An “intellectual property scan” of the research programs funded by the Network identified many early-stage break-through technologies that have commercial potential including:

New diagnostic tests for allergy and asthma (Allergy/asthma gene chips);
Bio-analytic tests for airborne pollutants and allergens;
New food products; and
Clinical trial methodologies that fast-track new allergy and asthma drug candidates.

Looking forward, AllerGen will continue to identify new opportunities and facilitate knowledge and technology transfer globally to researchers, the private sector and governments. Through these efforts, Canada will be positioned at the forefront of allergic and immune disease therapy, diagnosis, training and public education.