Food allergy affects over 3 million Canadians, including almost 600,000 children. Researchers are committed to better understanding how to prevent, diagnose, treat, and eventually, cure this medical condition. Learn how you can participate in research studies.
Research study: Participate in research for new treatment option: Adults with food allergy
Researchers at Cliantha Research in Mississauga, Ontario are looking for adults with food allergy to participate in Phase 1 of a clinical research study investigating a potential treatment option.
Please note: Phase 1 is the first stage of drug development that primarily evaluates a new treatment’s safety and tolerability. At this stage, the treatment is still being studied and is not an approved treatment.
If you are considering participation, please speak with the research team and your healthcare provider to determine whether a clinical trial is right for you. Learn more about the different phases of clinical trials and what they mean in our past webinar with Dr. Julia Upton. In this session, Dr. Upton also discusses considerations when deciding whether a clinical trial may be right for you.
Please see below for more details from the research team.
From the research team:
ENROLLING PARTICIPANTS FOR A FOOD ALLERGY RESEARCH STUDY AT CLIANTHA RESEARCH
Cliantha Research in Mississauga, Ontario is currently enrolling participants for a food allergy study investigating a potential treatment option. Below is an announcement from the research team with additional information about the study. If you would like to learn more or find out whether you may be eligible to participate, please contact the study team at volunteer@cliantha.com or call (905) 282-1808 locally or (888) 989-1808 toll free.
WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY?
The purpose of the study is to evaluate the safety, tolerability, how the drug moves the body, and the effect on immunoglobulin E (IgE) of the investigational drug LCA-0061 for its potential use in people with food allergies. This is a first-in-human study meaning it has not previously been tested in humans. It has not been approved by Health Canada for use outside of clinical research studies such as this one. The study will be conducted in 2 parts as follows: Part A: Single Ascending Dose (SAD) in atopic healthy participants and Part B: Multiple Ascending Dose (MAD) in participants with peanut allergy.
WHAT IS LCA-0061?
LCA-0061 is designed to reduce levels of IgE, an allergy protein in the body that plays a key role in triggering allergic reactions. It works by binding to IgE in the blood and helps the body to safely remove it through the liver. Once the IgE molecule is removed, LCA-0061 will continue to bind and eliminate additional IgE over time. By lowering IgE levels, LCA-0061 may help reduce allergic reactions.
MAIN ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR PARTICIPATION
Part A & B:
- Serum total IgE ≥300 IU/mL (720 ng/mL)
- Not have a history of anaphylaxis to any allergens
- Healthy males and non-pregnant females, ≥18 and ≤55 years of age
- Body mass index (BMI) of 18 kg/m2 to 30 kg/m2 inclusive, with a body weight ≥50kg
- Not have received any immunotherapy treatment (oral, sublingual or epicutaneous) for any allergies within the last 6 months
- Other eligibility criteria apply and will be assessed
Part A:
- History of allergy to common allergens (seasonal, perennial, food, and/or atopic dermatitis)
Part B:
- History of allergy to peanuts (peanut-allergic participants with other allergies will not be excluded)
- Positive SPT to peanut with a wheal diameter >4 mm and positive peanut-specific IgE level (>6 kUA/L)
WHAT WILL HAPPEN IN THE STUDY
Part A (Single Ascending Dose):
Participation in the study will be approximately 5 weeks. Participants will receive either one of the two study treatments: Test drug LCA-0061 (100 mg/mL) or Placebo. There will be 7 planned clinic visits. The treatment visit involves a 5-day overnight confinement in the clinic and the follow up visits are approximately 2 hours in duration.
Part B (Multiple Ascending Dose):
Participation in the study will be approximately 16 weeks. There will be 4 groups with slightly different treatment/dosing schedules. Participants will receive either one of the two study treatments: Test drug LCA-0061 (100 mg/mL) or Placebo. There will be 13 planned clinic visits. The treatment visits will be approximately 10 hours in duration, and the follow-up visits will be approximately 4 hours in duration.
COMPENSATION FOR PARTICIPATION
Part A: $5,700 CAD upon completion of the study.
Part B: Between $8,600 to $9,560 CAD upon completion of the study based on Group assignment. Due to the study duration, participants will be eligible to receive compensation on a prorated basis at the completion of Visit 6.
HOW TO PARTICIPATE
Step 1: Pass a telephone questionnaire to determine pre-qualification (approximately a 20-minute call with a recruitment coordinator).
Step 2: Pre-screening at the Cliantha research clinic in Mississauga (approximately 4 hrs.) to confirm that you have seasonal, perennial, environmental, peanut and/or other food allergies through a skin prick test and to confirm the immunoglobulin levels. Compensation is up to $100 for pre-screening.
Step 3: Medical screening at the Cliantha Research clinic in Mississauga (approx. 4 hrs.) to further assess all study eligibility criteria for participation.
PARTICIPATION AND CONFIDENTIALITY
Participation in the study is entirely voluntary. You may refuse to participate, or you may discontinue your participation at any time without explanation. All information obtained during these studies will be kept strictly confidential. The research data will be available only to the research team. This study has been reviewed by Advarra IRB, an independent Research Ethics Board.
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Dr. Patricia Couroux
CLIANTHA RESEARCH CLINIC: 4500 Dixie Road, Mississauga, ON L4W 1V7
ONLINE STUDY INFORMATION: ClinicalTrials.gov
REGISTRATION
To register for the study, contact us directly at (905) 282-1808 or toll free at (888)989-1808 or click on the following link, and a Cliantha team member will contact you within 24 hours: https://www.atcliantha.com/mississauga/register_to_participate.html
Our office hours are Monday to Friday 8:30am – 6:00pm and Saturday 8:30am – 4:30pm.
Research study: Take part in an international allergy and asthma survey
Are you a young person (aged 16-25) or a parent of a child (aged 11-25) with an allergic condition or asthma? Take part in this 10-to-15-minute online survey to share your experiences and perspectives.
Researchers are aiming to better understand young people’s experiences during the transition from paediatric care to adult allergy and asthma care, from the perspectives of young people and parents. This includes learning about the support available to help young people develop the skills and confidence they need to manage their allergies and asthma independently. Your input can help identify what’s working well, what could be improved, and where additional support may be needed.
The findings may help inform the development of educational and support strategies to address unmet needs.
The deadline to participate in this study is October 19, 2026. Take the survey now and share your experiences.
Research study: Call for participation for children with tree nut allergy
A research study is underway in Hamilton, Ontario. The researchers are seeking children aged 1-16 years who have been diagnosed with tree nut allergy, specifically to cashew, pistachio, walnut, pecan, almond, or hazelnut.
The study is testing different immunotherapies to desensitize a person with tree nut allergy by repeated exposures to very small amounts of tree nut through sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) or low-dose oral immunotherapy (IdOIT). SLIT is when a food allergen is placed under the tongue and OIT is when a food allergen is eaten.
Food Allergy Canada is involved in this research through a patient/caregiver partnership where we provide input to ensure the patient perspective is considered.
Following is an announcement from the research team with more details. To learn more about the study and if your child is eligible to participate, complete this form or email eia@mcmaster.ca.
Please share with others whose children have tree nut allergy.
From the research team:
Now enrolling: TRADE study for children with tree nut allergy
Does your child have tree nut allergy and hopes to reduce their reactions to tree nuts? Your child may be eligible for our study to trial treatments for tree nut allergy. TRADE is a randomized trial which uses sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) or low-dose oral immunotherapy (ldOIT) compared with a placebo to assess the ability of different immunotherapies to desensitize tree nut allergy.
Eligibility criteria:
- Children between 1-16 years old
- Diagnosed with tree nut allergy, specifically cashew, pistachio, walnut, pecan, almond, or hazelnut
- Skin prick test of 3mm or greater or a serum tree nut-specific IgE of greater than 0.35kUA/L
- Other eligibility criteria will apply
Participation in the study involves:
- Taking the study treatment for 52 weeks
- At least 10 study visits to the clinic, which is located in McMaster Children’s Hospital, 1200 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON
Potential benefits of this study include:
- Decreasing the participant’s reactivity to tree nuts after accidental ingestion and altering the natural progression of tree nut allergy by modifying the underlying immune response
- The participant may become clinically and immunologically tolerant to the tree nut
- Addressing unmet needs to establish safe tree nut allergy immunotherapy protocols and helping doctors and scientists to better understand food allergy
TRADE is led by Dr. Derek Chu MD PhD FRCPC at McMaster University Hamilton, Ontario and funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, Ontario Medical Association, and Hamilton Health Sciences.
To learn more about TRADE and eligibility criteria, please complete this form or email eia@mcmaster.ca.