As a risk assessor and toxicologist who has worked across industry, academia and government, Ben is a strong proponent of collaborative research and the importance of embedding safety across the entire food chain. He is particularly interested in the development of risk-benefit frameworks and the integration of human relevant and socially responsible safety methodologies into the regulatory approval processes for new ingredients and novel foods.

Speakers

Prof Andreas Lopata leads the ‘Molecular Allergy Research Laboratory’ in the Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine at James Cook University. The discovery and characterisation of food and inhalant allergens is central to our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of allergic reactions. Andreas’ research team uses cutting-edge molecular and cellular approaches in characterising the interactions of immunogenic proteins from different allergens sources with the human immune system, leading to allergic and inflammatory reactions. Andreas is Regional Associate Editor (Asia Pacific) for the World Allergy Association (WAO) Journal and Associate Editor of Frontier Allergy.

Dr Elizabeth Tham is a Consultant Paediatrician and Head of Division at the Division of Allergy, Immunology and Rheumatology division, Khoo Teck Puat-National University Children’s Medical Institute, National University Health System; as well as Assistant Professor in the Dept of Paediatrics, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore. She is also a Principal Investigator at the Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences (SICS, A*STAR), leading the Child Health Domain in the GUSTO and S-PRESTO birth cohorts. Her research focuses on Atopic Dermatitis and Food allergy in childhood, and Skin physiology and microbiome in these disorders. She is also Honorary Secretary of the Asia Pacific Academy of Pediatric Allergy, Respirology and Immunology (APAPARI).

Dr. Andiappan focuses on identifying risk factors for allergies and inflammation. His lab in Singapore Immunology Network at A*STAR Singapore, aims to understand mechanisms underlying common chronic allergies like allergic rhinitis, asthma and eczema in children primarily. They use a systems immunology approach to identify biomarkers and drug candidates by integrating allergen exposure, infection to the immune response using high-dimensional omics approaches. More recently, their focus has also expanded to discovering biomarkers for adult chronic conditions like chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) and aspirin exacerbated respiratory disease (AERD).  The research team also collaborates with other groups in Europe, US and Australia to evaluate the relevance of these biomarkers in other environments and populations. Dr. Andiappan also coordinates with consortia for allergies such as MeDALL(Mechanisms of the Development of Allergy) and PiCA (Pharmacogenomics in Childhood Asthma) and genetics (eQTLGen consortium). His lab in SIgN has been involved in public outreach for communicating their findings arising from their research beyond the traditional scientific papers in peer-reviewed international journals.