NACE Symposium

A national forum showcasing emerging allergy research, fostering collaboration and strengthening the Australian allergy research community.

Allergy experts from across Australia united at the inaugural NACE Symposium to help drive the future of allergy research on May 16 2024.

More than 100 allergy researchers, clinicians and professionals converged on Melbourne to hear how the latest developments in consumer involvement, digital health and living evidence could help advance their research.

Professor Kirsten Perrett, NACE and Centre for Food Allergy Research(CFAR) Director, who charted the future of food allergy research, said: “This is a unique opportunity for leaders in drug, food, insect and respiratory allergy to learn new ways to help combat one of Australia’s greatest public health challenges”.

The NACE announced a new scheme to partner researchers with people who have lived experience in allergic disease, in a move to ensure Australian allergy studies ask the right questions and address the issues that matter most to consumers.

Applications opened for researchers to access up to four members of the NACE Consumer Engagement Register, to:

• Provide feedback on research project design
• Review research materials
• Take part in dedicated focus groups
• Give advice on communicating research findings.

“Now, more than ever, community members are seen as a fundamental aspect of ethical and impactful health and medical research,” said Ken Knight, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Head of Research Impact & Consumer Involvement, who delivered a session on why – and how to – seek consumer engagement in allergy research design.

Adjunct Prof Sach Jayasinghe, Queensland Cyber Infrastructure Foundation Ltd (QCIF) Chief Executive Officer, outlined digital advances enabling health research and translation, which, he said, is not all about AI. 

“Contemporary research is increasingly reliant on sophisticated technology platforms that generate copious amount of data, as well as advanced approaches to linking divergent data sets and application of cutting-edge AI methods for analysing the resulting big data,” he said.

“By unpacking the complex Australian research infrastructure landscape, we will highlight the latest digital capabilities that can accelerate the research programs of individual research groups and collaborative consortia.”

Dr Heath White, Cochrane Australia, Australian Living Evidence Collaboration, Evidence and Methods, Director, explained how living evidence uses continuous evidence surveillance and rapid response pathways to incorporate new, relevant information into clinical guidelines as it becomes available.

“Having been successfully applied to the development and maintenance of guidelines in critical areas including stroke, kidney disease, arthritis and COVID-19, these processes overcome many problems inherent to traditional guidelines while aiming to minimise effort and maximise impact,” he said.

Delegates also heard how the NACE, supported by funding from the Australian Government, has developed tools and resources in these key areas, including:

• A Consumer Advisory Group and Consumer Engagement Register for allergy research
• A Clinical Trials Network to streamline the start-up of national allergy trials giving Australians faster access to emerging treatment options
• The National Allergy Studies Directory to connect members of the allergy community with clinical trials and studies underway across Australia
• Evidence synthesis to underpin the activities of partner allergy organisations, including the National Allergy Council
• Awarding seven Postgraduate Scholarships and four Postdoctoral Fellowships to continue the momentum as the next generation of allergy researchers.

The program included panel discussions, presentations from NACE and CFAR Postgraduate Scholars and networking opportunities.

The following day, emerging allergy researchers took part in the NACE – CFAR Training Day, including specialised sessions in science communications and how to approach research impact.