FAACT's Roundtable

Ep. 264: Updates from ACAAI 2025

• Season 5 • Episode 264

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Earlier this month, more than 2,500 allergists and healthcare professionals gathered in Orlando, Florida, for the annual meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology—better known as ACAAI. It’s one of the biggest events of the year where experts share the latest research, treatments, and guidelines in allergy and immunology. We’re thrilled to be joined by this year’s keynote speaker, program chair—and FAACT Medical Board Member—Dr. Kristin Sokol, MD, MS, MPH, who shares highlights and key takeaways from this cutting-edge meeting.

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Caroline: Welcome to FACTS Roundtable, a podcast dedicated to navigating life with food allergies across the lifespan. Presented in a welcoming format with interviews and open discussions,

each episode will explore a specific topic, leaving you with the FAACTS to know or use.

Information presented via this podcast is educational and not intended to provide individual medical advice.

Please consult with your personal board-certified allergist or healthcare providers for advice specific to your situation.

Hi everyone, I'm Caroline Moassessi and I am your host for the FACT Roundtable podcast.

I am a food allergy parent and advocate and the founder of the Grateful Foodie Blog. And I am FAACT's Vice President of Community Relations.

Before we start today's podcast, we would like to take a moment to thank Genentech for being a kind sponsor of FAACT's roundtable podcast.

Also, please note that today's guest was not paid by or sponsored by Genentech to participate in this specific podcast.

Earlier this month, more than 2,500 allergists and healthcare professionals gathered in sunny Orlando, Florida for the annual meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology,

better known as ACAAI.

It's one of the biggest events of the year where experts share the latest research, treatments and guidelines in allergy and immunology.

We're absolutely thrilled to be joined by this year's keynote speaker and program chair and FAACT medical board member, Dr. Kristin Sokol, who is here to share highlights and key takeaways from this inspiring meeting.

Welcome back, Dr. Sokol, to FAACT's Roundtable podcast. We're very excited today. This is a great discussion that's gonna bring us all up to date on all sorts of new things.

So welcome.

Kristin: Thank you so much. And hi everyone. Thanks to FAACT for having me. And thank you, Caroline.

Caroline: Well, we're always delighted to have you with us because you communicate in a way that we can all understand these complex medical or scient topic. So we really appreciate how you speak to us.

Before we get into the highlights from the ACAAI meeting, I'd like for our new listeners to hear a little bit about you and what sparked your interest in allergy and immunology.

What led you into this field.

Kristin: Of course, Caroline. So my name is Dr. Kristin Sokol. I'm a practicing allergist and immunologist in Rockville, Maryland. That's just outside of Washington, D.C.

I serve on the medical board of FAACT and I'm also the current chair of the annual meeting Planning committee for the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, also known as the ACAAI,

I truly love what I do. I actually started my career in pediatrics. I completed my residency at Texas Children's Hospital, where there I was exposed to so many different specialties within pediatrics.

But what drew me to allergy and immunology was how dynamic and multifaceted the field is.

So it really touches on multiple organ systems, and every day brings new challenges, new science, and fascinating patients.

During my fellowship, I trained to care for both adults and children with a wide variety of allergic and immunologic conditions,

from asthma and eczema to food and drug allergies, sinus disease, and complex immunodeficiencies.

But really, I'd say the most rewarding part of my work is caring for patients and families affected by food allergies. Their resilience and advocacy continually inspire me.

Caroline: Well, we're very glad you're part of our team and for all that you do.

Now we're going to turn our attention right into the meeting. Can you explain why attending this meeting is essential not only for medical professionals to attend, but also how does this meeting directly impact the patient and the caregiver?

Kristin: Of course. And that's such a great question.

So the ACAAI Annual Scientific meeting is really one of the most valuable scientific gatherings in our field.

So it brings together allergists, immunologists, and researchers. Researchers and all types of healthcare professionals who care for patients with allergic conditions.

And they come from across the country, but even include international speakers and attendees.

We really all have the same goal of improving the care we provide to patients.

What really makes this meeting so special is just how practical it is. We're not just talking about theoretical research.

We're learning from new studies and clinical advances that we can immediately take back and apply in our own practices.

So, for example, sessions often highlight things like the latest food allergy treatments, immunotherapy options, asthma management strategies,

and emerging data on biologic therapies.

And the impact really doesn't stop with clinicians, because everything we learn and share at this meeting directly benefits our patients and their families. So it means faster access to new treatments, better diagnostic approaches, and more personalized care.

It also helps us educate and empower caregivers so they can better understand the science behind what we're recommending and truly feel confident managing these conditions back at home in our practices.

So, ultimately, the college meeting is where science meets everyday patient care.

And that connection is what I think keeps our field moving forward.

Caroline: Speaking now just as a caregiver, because FACT attends every year. And so I've had the benefit of attending every year, but as a caregiver, I find it so inspiring. Inspiring and exciting because not only do I see all these topics presented, but I love watching the allergists when they see each other and they get excited and ideas are flying and they're talking about how they handle certain things in their practices and it's just so exciting to see.

And I hope our listeners are getting that feel that this is just something that's so unique and that energy and that exchange of information makes our world better.

Kristin: It's true. There is really so much energy surrounding this meeting and so much connection between colleagues across the country and the world.

It really is exciting. Like you said.

Caroline: Turning now to the highlights, what are the highlights that you would like to share with our food allergy community?

Kristin: Yeah, so there were really so many exciting and meaningful highlights from this year's ACAAI Annual Scientific meeting,

especially for our food allergy community.

I'd say one of the strongest themes that emerged was truly patient centered care,

so understanding the individual behind the diagnosis.

So for example, sessions like the patient identify key factors to determine treatments,

emphasize that no two patients with food allergy are exactly alike, so factors like age and comorbid conditions and family dynamics and even quality of life all play into how we tailor management.

Another major area of excitement was around early intervention and emerging therapies in this specific group of children.

So discussions like oral immunotherapy for infants and toddlers, an early window of intervention explored how starting treatment earlier in life may change the long term course of food allergy.

And similarly,

sessions on biologics and OIT combinations as well as sublingual immunotherapy and also epicutaneous immunotherapy. These review new data on how these approaches might work together or serve as alternatives to oral immunotherapy alone.

We also heard about alternative routes of epinephrine,

so like intranasal or sublingual forms which really have been or can be game changers for families managing food induced anaphylaxis Several research abstracts feature the topics of things like anxiety and well being surrounding the use of different forms of epinephrine and beyond treatments.

There was a strong focus during this meeting on kind of the bigger picture like quality of life, patient reported outcomes and the emotional toll of living with food allergies.

And finally some of the most forward looking sessions, things like novel diagnostics, prevention strategies and also harnessing immune plasticity,

meaning can we intervene early and change our immune systems?

This really gave us a glimpse into what's ahead.

So it's inspiring to see how science is evolving not only to treat treat food allergy, but potentially alter its course altogether.

So overall it was such an energizing meeting. Like I've said, full of practical, science driven and hopeful advances for food allergy patients and families.

Caroline: So now being curious about the mechanics of someone attending a meeting. So like just looking at my doctor in his allergy practice, they have several locations.

Does one doctor typically go from a practice and then come back and share with the others or do you have a lot of doctors coming from one practice? How do people negotiate this?

Kristin: I think it totally depends on the interactions between the different doctors in the practice.

Thankfully, a lot of the major sessions are held over the weekend.

Often practitioners across the country will take one or two days off of their clinic to attend these meetings and learn from these interactive and engaging sessions. Sometimes it's all the allergists in a practice, sometimes it's just one.

And if it is just one, then yes, we do bring our information back. In addition, there's also ways to listen online and watch online from home.

So the college, the ACAAI does provide that opportunity. There's a way to watch some of these lectures and discussions from home. So that's a really nice option for people that just can't get there.

Caroline: That's really great.

Are there any takeaways or information from this meeting that a listener might want to explore with their doctor when managing their food allergies? So someone who might be listening today and hearing you talk about a few of these new things, how would a listener go back to their doctor?

Kristin: I think one of the biggest takeaways from this year's meeting with regards to food allergy is the importance of getting in to see a board certified allergist early.

So if there's a concern for food allergy,

if a child has a reaction after food introduction, really don't wait. Because early evaluation and early treatment strategies, if that's what is chosen to move forward with, can really make a difference.

So we now have more evidence than ever that early intervention can actually shape the way the immune system develops. And several sessions this year focused on that early infant and toddler years and some of the treatments that are available and the data is really encouraging.

So the younger the child, the more malleable, the more changeable the immune system seems to be.

And this can translate safer and and more effective long term outcomes.

And along those lines, new research presented at this meeting found that the timing and the duration and the severity of eczema can actually influence whether children outgrow their food allergies.

So there was some research presented showing children whose eczema began later,

lasted longer or was more severe were less likely to develop tolerance to food allergens.

Again suggesting that early and effective management, but this time in eczema, can play a big role in helping children overcome their food allergies.

And in addition,

with regards to new treatment strategies, a long term study presented at the meeting found that epicutaneous immunotherapy. So right now the like the peanut patch has been shown to safely increase peanut tolerance in toddlers.

So the peanut patch is something that's on your skin that delivers small amounts of peanut protein through the skin.

And this specific study resulted in the majority of children tolerating increased amounts of peanut protein with fewer and milder allergic reactions during subsequent challenges to peanut. This study also showed a strong safety profile.

And so these findings suggest that early sustained use of the peanut patch may help modify the course of peanut allergy in young children.

And another and last area families might want to ask their doctors about involves the newer forms of epinephrine. Like I mentioned before.

So we're seeing innovations in how this lifesaving medication can be delivered. So that includes nasal sprays and in the future, sublingual options.

So as you know, nasal spray is already available, but sublingual is on the horizon.

This might make treatment faster and easier to use in emergencies.

So I would encourage listeners if your child has a food reaction or you're wondering about different treatment options, definitely talk with your allergist. The landscape is truly evolving quickly. There are so many tools and strategies than ever to help keep patients safe and to potentially change the course of food allergy over time.

Caroline: This is really thrilling. My children are 22 and 27 and so we've been living with food allergies in our home for 25 years.

So just looking at when my children were toddlers to now, it is a completely different landscape with so much hope.

I mean, just so much hope and so many options now. And like you were saying, so important to speak to your allergist, especially if you have young children or you're growing your family.

This is very exciting.

Kristin: It is.

Caroline: It really is. I mean, again, I'm just, I'm almost like speechless when I'm just comparing how far we've gone, even just in the last 10 years. It's amazing.

But this went very fast and our time has come to an end already. So before we say goodbye Is there anything else you want our listeners to hear from you?

Kristin: Just thank you so much again for having me. It's really been a pleasure to share these highlights of the meeting.

I also just want to say what an honor it has been to serve as the chair of this meeting, helping to shape this conference. From the sessions we select to the conversations we foster,

it's something I take great pride in. It ultimately helps us all provide better care for our patients and families. And this meeting really represents the best of our allergy and immunology community.

Clinicians, researchers, patient advocates, all coming together with one shared goal to improve our patient.

So I truly feel grateful to be part of that mission. And as we've talked about a lot today, I'm excited to see what's ahead in our field.

Caroline: Well, we are certainly grateful for you and everyone for their energy and intelligence and knowledge and how you're just changing our world for the better. So thank you very much for being here and we appreciate you so much and we look forward to having you again on FAACT's Roundtable Podcast.

Kristin: Thank you so much, Caroline. Thanks to Fact as well.

Caroline: You're welcome.

Before we say goodbye today, I just want to take one more moment to say thank you to Genentech for their kind sponsorship of FAACT's Roundtable podcast. Also, I want to note that today's guest was not paid by or sponsored by Genentech to participate in this specific podcast.

Thank you for listening to FAACT's Roundtable Podcast.

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Have a great day and always be kind to one another.