About IFA

The field of allergology has a long history at the Charité, including during the times before the merger after the fall of the Berlin Wall at the Universitätsklinikum Rudolf Virchow, where, since 1990, mast cell and urticaria research had been established under the direction of Prof. Czarnetzki.

Allergic diseases are now the most common form of chronic disease affecting our society. Although, in Germany, allergology is not a separate specialist field and is therefore often only viewed from an organ-related perspective. The Charité reacted early by amalgamating the institutes working in the field of allergology into the certificated Comprehensive Allergy Center Charité (CACC) and establishing the Allergy Center Charité at the Department of Dermatology in 2003 as part of a foundation-based initiative, which will now be transferred to the independent Institute of Allergology. This Institute works closely with the other cooperation project initiated by the Charité with the Fraunhofer Site for Allergology at CBF. This sends an important signal that research into the most common chronic disease is being supported by a new alliance in Berlin.

The research focuses on all areas of allergology, with a central focus on the fundamentals of mast cell biology, identification and characterisation of biomarkers, and identification of new therapeutic approaches to develop more effective treatments. We carry out clinical trials, both independently and industry-sponsored, including early proof-of-concept studies, first in-human trials, and phase IV trials. Furthermore, we provide first-class patient care and develop instruments to measure the disease activity of mast cell-activation diseases, the negative effects on quality of life, and disease management.

This approach has led the Institute of Allergology to grow to over 250 staff working in the fields of Basic Science | Solution Discovery, Translational Research | Preclinical Development, and Clinical Trials | Clinical Research, Real World Research complemented by the direct provision of Patient Care by our special outpatient clinics.

We are an interdisciplinary team comprised of researchers from 30 countries who each bring a broad spectrum of expertise, training, knowledge, and interests to the working group setting. Our goal is to conduct excellent research in the field of mast cell-activation diseases and their differential diagnoses to subsequently use the results to improve patient care.