The University of South Florida Asthma, Allergy and Immunology Clinical Research Unit was established in 1977 to improve the treatment of patients who suffer from asthma, allergic and immunologic diseases. The Clinical Research Unit is a segment of the Division of Allergy and Immunology, Department of Internal Medicine at the University of South Florida College of Medicine. The Division is affiliated with the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, James A. Haley Veterans Administration Hospital and the University of South Florida Medical Clinics in Tampa. The Unit is also affiliated with All Children's Hospital and Bay Pines Veterans Hospital, both in St. Petersburg.
The Unit provides quality research in a variety of clinical areas which include the following: allergic conjunctivitis; allergen immunotherapy; allergen skin testing; allergic rhinitis; asthma; atopic eczema; bronchitis, acute and chronic; contact dermatitis; chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; exercise induced asthma; headache (migraine and tension); HIV disease and any of its complications; immunodeficiency diseases; insect allergy; intravenous immunoglobulin; osteoporosis; rheumatoid arthritis; sinusitis, acute and chronic; temporomandibular joint disease; and urticaria, acute and chronic; vasomotor rhinitis.
The USF Clinical Research Unit also participates in the Division's basic research programs. These programs focus on the mechanisms which cause airway diseases with an intent to identify not only potential genetic molecular markers for diagnosis of these diseases, but also novel drug targets for the effective treatment and possibly cure of airway diseases. The Unit's basic research program utilizes in vitro models such as cultured bronchial epithelial cells together with rodent models of chronic allergic asthma and respiratory virus infection to study the effects of allergens, irritants, and viruses on bronchial tissue.
