Dale Umetsu

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Dale Umetsu
NationalityAmerican
Alma mater
Known for
Scientific career
Fields
Institutions


Dale T. Umetsu is an American physician, immunologist, and researcher known for his contributions to the studies of allergies and asthma. [1] He was the Prince Turki Bin Abdul Aziz al Saud Professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School andhas held professorships at Stanford University,University of California, San Francisco,and Boston Children's Hospital. [2]

Contents

He has conducted research into the immunobiology of allergic diseases and asthma, with a particular focus on immune cell subsets and translational medicine. [3]

Education

He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Columbia University and pursued his medical and doctoral degrees (MD/PhD) from New York University. [4] He completed his internship, residency, and fellowship in allergy/immunology at Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School. [5]

Career

Umetsu began his academic career at Stanford University, where he served as a professor, Chief of Allergy/Immunology, and Director of the Asthma Center. [6] In 2005, he returned to Harvard Medical School as the Prince Turki Bin Abdul Aziz al Saud Professor of Pediatrics, and performed laboratory research funded by the NIH for more than 20 years. [7] He served Society for Mucosal Immunology as Treasurer from 2007 to 2011, as a member of the editorial board of Mucosal Immunology from 2008, as associate editor from 2009 to the present, as a board member of the American Academy of Allergy, and Immunology from 2002 to 2007, member of the Allergenic Products Advisory Committee, CBER FDA 1998–2002, [8] and as a Study Section chair with the NIH Center for Scientific Review from 1998 to 2000. [9] In 2013, Umetsu left academic medicine to become Principal Medical Director in Respiratory and Allergic Diseases and Global Development Lead for Xolair.at Genentech. [9]

At Genentech, he led the team that obtained FDA approval of Xolair for pediatric asthma, for chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps, the Xolair liquid formulation and for food allergy. [2]

Research

Umetsu's research interests encompass the immunobiology of allergic diseases and asthma, focusing on subsets of CD4 T cells, NKT cells, Treg cells, and innate lymphoid cells. [10] He has published over 200 manuscripts and holds nine patents, and has been working in translational medicine in asthma and food allergies. [2]

Umetsu's research demonstrated omalizumab in reducing allergic reactions, particularly in individuals with severe allergies, his work culminated in a Phase 3 study in collaboration with the NIH and subsequent FDA approval of omalizumab for food allergy in 2024. [11]

In 2004, Umetsu led a team that developed vaccines that reduced or eliminated dogs' allergic reactions to peanuts, milk, and wheat. [12] Umetsu's approach, using heat-killed Listeria mixed with allergens, targets the hygiene hypothesis. [13]

His work include mechanisms underlying asthma and allergies, including the role of immune cells such as Th2 cells, mast cells, eosinophils, and natural killer T cells and innate lymphoid cells. [14]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allergy</span> Immune system response to a substance that most people tolerate well

Allergies, also known as allergic diseases, are various conditions caused by hypersensitivity of the immune system to typically harmless substances in the environment. These diseases include hay fever, food allergies, atopic dermatitis, allergic asthma, and anaphylaxis. Symptoms may include red eyes, an itchy rash, sneezing, coughing, a runny nose, shortness of breath, or swelling. Note that food intolerances and food poisoning are separate conditions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Immunoglobulin E</span> Immunoglobulin E (IgE) Antibody

Immunoglobulin E (IgE) is a type of antibody that has been found only in mammals. IgE is synthesised by plasma cells. Monomers of IgE consist of two heavy chains and two light chains, with the ε chain containing four Ig-like constant domains (Cε1–Cε4). IgE is thought to be an important part of the immune response against infection by certain parasitic worms, including Schistosoma mansoni, Trichinella spiralis, and Fasciola hepatica. IgE is also utilized during immune defense against certain protozoan parasites such as Plasmodium falciparum. IgE may have evolved as a defense to protect against venoms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Food allergy</span> Hypersensitivity reaction to a food

A food allergy is an abnormal immune response to food. The symptoms of the allergic reaction may range from mild to severe. They may include itchiness, swelling of the tongue, vomiting, diarrhea, hives, trouble breathing, or low blood pressure. This typically occurs within minutes to several hours of exposure. When the symptoms are severe, it is known as anaphylaxis. A food intolerance and food poisoning are separate conditions, not due to an immune response.

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases is one of the 27 institutes and centers that make up the National Institutes of Health (NIH), an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). NIAID's mission is to conduct basic and applied research to better understand, treat, and prevent infectious, immunologic, and allergic diseases.

Omalizumab, sold under the brand name Xolair, is an injectable medication to treat severe persistent allergic forms of asthma, nasal polyps, urticaria (hives), and immunoglobulin E-mediated food allergy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allergen immunotherapy</span> Medical treatment for environmental allergies

Allergen immunotherapy, also known as desensitization or hypo-sensitization, is a medical treatment for environmental allergies, such as insect bites, and asthma. Immunotherapy involves exposing people to larger and larger amounts of allergens in an attempt to change the immune system's response.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peanut allergy</span> Type of food allergy caused by peanuts

Peanut allergy is a type of food allergy to peanuts. It is different from tree nut allergies, because peanuts are legumes and not true nuts. Physical symptoms of allergic reaction can include itchiness, hives, swelling, eczema, sneezing, asthma attack, abdominal pain, drop in blood pressure, diarrhea, and cardiac arrest. Anaphylaxis may occur. Those with a history of asthma are more likely to be severely affected.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Egg allergy</span> Type of food allergy caused by eggs

Egg allergy is an immune hypersensitivity to proteins found in chicken eggs, and possibly goose, duck, or turkey eggs. Symptoms can be either rapid or gradual in onset. The latter can take hours to days to appear. The former may include anaphylaxis, a potentially life-threatening condition which requires treatment with epinephrine. Other presentations may include atopic dermatitis or inflammation of the esophagus.

Talizumab (TNX-901) is a humanized monoclonal antibody that was under development by Tanox in Houston, Texas as a new-concept therapeutic for allergic diseases. The unique anti-IgE antibody was designed to target immunoglobulin E (IgE) and IgE-expressing B lymphocytes specifically, without binding to IgE already bound by the high affinity IgE receptors on mast cells and basophils. Talizumab was tested in clinical trials at National Jewish Medical and Research Center and other medical centers and allergy clinics across the U. S. and shown to be able to prevent allergic reactions to accidental exposure to peanuts, which is contained in many kinds of foods.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Platts-Mills</span> British academic

Thomas Alexander Evelyn Platts-Mills, FRS son of British member of parliament and barrister John Platts-Mills, is a British allergy researcher and director of the Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology at the University of Virginia School of Medicine.

Corn allergy is a very rare food allergy. People with a true IgE-mediated allergy to corn develop symptoms such as swelling or hives when they eat corn or foods that contain corn. The allergy can be difficult to manage due to many food and non-food products that contain various forms of corn, such as corn starch and modified food starch, among many others. It is an allergy that often goes unrecognized.

Ann M. Arvin is an American pediatrician and microbiologist. She is the Lucile Salter Packard Professor of Pediatrics and Professor of Microbiology & Immunology Emerita at Stanford University. Arvin is a specialist of the Varicella zoster virus (VZV) and a prominent national figure in health. Arvin is currently the chief of the infectious diseases division of pediatrics at the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, as well as the former Stanford's Vice Provost and Dean of Research.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ruby Umesh Pawankar</span> Indian scientist

Ruby Pawankar has been president of the World Allergy Organization (WAO), 2012 and 2013. She is the first Indian and first woman president of WAO, which was established in 1951. Currently she is past president, WAO, president of the Asia Pacific Association of Allergy Asthma and Clinical Immunology (APAAACI) and council member of Collegium Internationale Allergolicum (CIA). She is professor of allergy, department of pediatrics at Nippon Medical School in Tokyo, Japan, and guest professor at Showa University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan, Kyung Hee University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea and St. John's Medical College, Bengaluru, India. She is a recipient of Pravasi Bharatiya Samman 2010 for excellence in medicine, from the president of India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lloyd Mayer</span>

Lloyd Mayer was an American gastroenterologist and immunologist. He was Professor and Co-Director of the Immunology institute at the Mount Sinai Medical Center, now known as the Marc and Jennifer Lipschultz Precision Immunology Institute.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kari Nadeau</span> American Physician and scientist

Kari C. Nadeau is the Chair of the Department of Environmental Health at Harvard School of Public Health and John Rock Professor of Climate and Population Studies. She is adjunct professor at Stanford University in the Department of Pediatrics and the co-chair of the Medical Societies Consortium for Climate Change and Health. She practices Allergy, Asthma, Immunology in children and adults. She has published over 400+ papers, many in the field of climate change and health. Her team focuses on quantifying health outcomes of solutions as they pertain climate change mitigation and adaptation at the local, regional, country, and global levels. Dr. Nadeau, with a team of individuals and patients and families, has been able to help major progress and impact in the clinical fields of immunology, infection, asthma, and allergy. Dr. Nadeau is a member of the National Academy of Medicine and the U.S. EPA Children’s Health Protection Committee.

Rice allergy is a type of food allergy. People allergic to rice react to various rice proteins after consuming rice or inhale the steam from cooking rice. Although some reactions might lead to severe health problems, doctors can diagnose rice allergy with many methods and help allergic people to avoid reactions.

Tse Wen Chang is an immunology researcher, whose career spans across academia and industry. His early research involving the Immunoglobulin E (IgE) pathway and antibody-based therapeutics lead to the development of omalizumab, a medication that has been approved for the treatment of severe allergic asthma and severe chronic spontaneous urticaria. Chang is a cofounder of Tanox, a biopharmaceutical company specialized in anti-IgE therapies for the treatment of allergic diseases. After Tanox's tripartite partnership with Genentech and Novartis was forged in 1996, Chang returned to his alma mater, the National Tsing Hua University in Taiwan and served as the Dean (1996–1999) of the College of Life Sciences. Chang was appointed by the Taiwanese government as President of the Development Center for Biotechnology (DCB) in 2000, and served as a Science and Technology Advisor of the Executive Yuan from 2002 to 2006. From 2006 to 2016, he was tenured as Distinguished Research Fellow at the Genomics Research Center, Academia Sinica. He founded Immunwork, Inc. in 2014.

Clare Margaret Lloyd is a Professor of Medicine and Vice Dean for Institutional Affairs at Imperial College London. She investigates allergic immunity in early life.

Mariana Castells is a Spanish-American allergist who focuses on mast cell diseases, including mastocytosis, mast cell activation syndrome and hereditary alpha tryptasimia. Mastocytosis is a rare disease with limited treatment options. Castells works at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Massachusetts in the Department of Allergy, Rheumatology, and Immunology and at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. She is also a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School.

Marc E. Rothenberg is an American physician-scientist who has made significant contributions to the fields of allergy, gastroenterology, and immunology. He is currently a Professor of Pediatrics, at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, and the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, the Director of the Division of Allergy and Immunology, the Director of the Cincinnati Center for Eosinophilic Disorders, and the principal investigator of the Consortium of Eosinophilic Disease Researchers (CEGIR) as part of the Rare Disease Clinical Research Network of the National Institute of Health. Rothenberg's research is focused on eosinophilic gastrointestinal diseases.

References

  1. ↑ Chandonnet, Sarah. "Harvard U. Makes Big Strides to Cure Asthma - New York Times". New York Times . Retrieved 2024-03-29.
  2. 1 2 3 "Dale Umetsu". Food Allergy Science Initiative. Retrieved 2024-03-29.
  3. ↑ Smith, Gwen (2013-10-10). "The Hunt for a Food Allergy Cure: Where Is It Heading?". Allergic Living. Retrieved 2024-03-29.
  4. ↑ "Dale T. Umetsu, Chief, Adjunct Clinical Professor". eMedEvents. Retrieved 2024-03-29.
  5. ↑ "About the Editors". Mucosal Immunology. Retrieved 2024-03-29.
  6. ↑ Palca, Joe. "< New Research Could Aid Asthma Sufferers". National Public Radio .
  7. ↑ "New treatment may desensitize kids with milk allergies, study suggests". ScienceDaily. 2011-03-11. Retrieved 2024-03-29.
  8. ↑ https://med.stanford.edu/content/dam/sm/shared/community/department-of-medicine/Immuno/Seminars_Events/conference/Immunology-Conference-Program-2019_11.7.19.pdf Dale Umetsu, MD, PhD Adjunct Professor of Medicine, Stanford University Clinical Professor of Pediatrics, UCSF On the road towards developing therapies for patients with food allergy
  9. 1 2 Fliesler, Nancy (2013-03-26). "Two-pronged treatment may ease severe peanut allergy". Boston Children's Answers. Retrieved 2024-03-29.
  10. ↑ "T Cells in the Pathogenesis and Prevention of Asthma". Medscape. Retrieved 2024-03-29.
  11. ↑ Office of the Commissioner (2024-02-16). "FDA Approves First Medication to Help Reduce Allergic Reactions to Multiple Foods After Accidental Exposure". FDA. Retrieved 2024-03-30.
  12. ↑ Pallarito, Karen (12 November 2004). "Vaccine Stops Food Allergy in Dogs". www.healthday.com.
  13. ↑ Bowman, Lee. "Promising vaccine could cure common food allergies". Seattle Post-Intelligencer .
  14. ↑ "Cure For Asthma May Come Soon". The Harvard Crimson. 2006-03-21.
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