Grace Kerby Distinguished Professor of Pathology Soman Abraham, PhD, was an invited speaker at the 2025 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI )/ World Allergy Organization (WAO) Joint Congress held in San Diego, California, Feb 28-March 3, 2025. The theme was “Climate Change and Allergic Diseases: Global Impact on Health.”
Abraham spoke at a session titled “Recent Insights into the Role of Mast Cells in Allergic Disease Pathogenesis.” While mast cells are commonly recognized as the main drivers of dangerous allergies, it has typically been believed that they are the major contributors to this issue. In his talk, he shared his lab's recent discovery that anaphylaxis, a severe allergic reaction often triggered by substances like peanuts, is actually regulated by the central nervous system. This finding could open the door to new treatment approaches for managing this life-threatening condition.
A top-tier educational event for allergist/immunologists, the Joint Congress featured educational sessions led by premier researchers in allergy, asthma, and immunology. The keynote speaker, Columbia Public Health Associate Professor Lewis H. Ziska, PhD, has worked extensively on documenting the impact of climate change and rising carbon dioxide levels on human health through a botanical lens, including allergies, nutrition, plant-based medicine and pesticide exposure.
Abraham presented at last year’s AAAI Annual Meeting, sharing a talk titled “Regulation of Mast Cell Regranulation.” In it, he revealed how mast cells, which are immune cells implicated in asthma and allergy, prolong disease through their unique capacity to undertake multiple bouts of activation.
Read more about the Abraham Lab’s work here.
In addition to his teaching and research, Abraham is director of graduate studies for Duke’s Graduate Program in Pathobiology and Translational Biosciences, which was established in the early 1960s with the goal of training investigators to understand and solve fundamental problems in experimental pathology.