Swiss Institute of Allergy and Asthma Research

The Swiss Institute of Allergy and Asthma Research, commonly known as SIAF, is a medical and life-science research institute based in Davos, Switzerland. It was established in 1988 as an institution of the Schweizerisches Forschungsinstitut für Hochgebirgsklima und Medizin foundation, an organization associated with research into high-altitude climate and medicine. SIAF’s work centers on allergy, asthma, clinical immunology, and the mechanisms by which the human immune system is regulated. The institute has operated as an affiliated institute of the University of Zurich since 1995. This relationship supports scientific collaboration, teaching, postgraduate training, and the integration of SIAF research into the wider Swiss academic system. In 2007, SIAF joined the Life Science Zurich Graduate School, a joint postgraduate education program of ETH Zurich and the University of Zurich. The institute is also an active member of Academia Raetica, a network connecting scientific and research institutions in the Canton of Grisons. SIAF’s research is oriented toward patient-relevant human immunology and cell biology rather than solely toward basic model systems. Its research themes include allergen tolerance, immune-regulatory mechanisms, the behavior and regulation of tissue cells, the function and measurement of tissue barriers, regulatory roles of noncoding DNA, and vaccine development. These areas connect fundamental immunology with potential applications in allergic disease, asthma, inflammatory conditions, and clinical intervention. The institute is located at the Medicine Campus Davos, whose new facility opened in 2019 in Davos Wolfgang. The building provides approximately 3,136 square meters of laboratory and office space and includes modern research infrastructure, including a biosafety level 3 laboratory. The campus gives SIAF a dedicated setting for laboratory research, scientific exchange, and collaboration with other medical and life-science organizations in the Davos region. SIAF also participates in the international allergy and immunology community. It is associated with organizations such as the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, and its scientists contribute to editorial boards and editorships of specialist journals. The institute has teaching responsibilities at the University of Zurich and the University of Salzburg and organizes the annual World Immune Regulation Meeting, an international forum devoted to immune-regulatory science. Kurt Blaser was SIAF’s first director. Cezmi A. Akdis became director in 2007 and has led the institute’s scientific direction since then. Akdis has also held a prominent editorial role in the field as editor-in-chief of the journal Allergy. SIAF is therefore best understood not as a consumer-facing brand, but as a specialized scientific institution whose identity is built around translational immunology, allergy and asthma research, postgraduate education, and international academic collaboration.

SIAF was founded in 1988 as an institute of the Schweizerisches Forschungsinstitut für Hochgebirgsklima und Medizin foundation in Davos. Its original institutional setting connected the new allergy and asthma research organization with the region’s established scientific interest in high-altitude climate and medicine. In 1995, SIAF became an affiliated institute of the University of Zurich. The affiliation established a durable academic connection and enabled cooperation in research and teaching. SIAF scientists subsequently took part in university teaching and maintained links with broader Swiss and international research networks. The institute’s first director was Professor Kurt Blaser. In 2007, Professor Cezmi A. Akdis became director. The same year, SIAF joined the Life Science Zurich Graduate School, a joint postgraduate education initiative of ETH Zurich and the University of Zurich. This placed the institute within a structured training environment for advanced life-science researchers. Under its modern research program, SIAF developed a strong emphasis on direct, patient-relevant human immunology and cell biology. Its work has addressed allergen tolerance, immune regulation, tissue-cell biology, tissue barriers, approaches for detecting barrier function, noncoding DNA, and vaccine development. The institute’s scientists have also participated in professional organizations such as the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology and contributed to the editorial leadership of specialist journals. SIAF is part of Academia Raetica, which links scientific institutions in the Canton of Grisons. It also organizes the annual World Immune Regulation Meeting, extending its role beyond laboratory research into international scientific exchange. A major infrastructural development came with the Medicine Campus Davos. The campus facility in Davos Wolfgang opened in 2019 and provided SIAF with approximately 3,136 square meters of laboratory and office space. The building includes modern laboratory equipment and a biosafety level 3 laboratory, supporting a broader range of contemporary biomedical research activities. Cezmi A. Akdis has also held a significant publishing role within the discipline, serving as editor-in-chief of Allergy. The institute’s current identity combines specialized research into allergy, asthma, and immune regulation with university affiliation, postgraduate education, international collaboration, and a physical base in Davos’s medical and scientific campus.

• 2019

  Medicine Campus Davos opened

  [1]Swiss Institute of Allergy and Asthma Researchen.wikipedia.org

  SIAF moved into or operated from the new Medicine Campus Davos facility in Davos Wolfgang, with laboratory and office space and a biosafety level 3 laboratory.

• 2007

  Cezmi A. Akdis became director

  [1]Swiss Institute of Allergy and Asthma Researchen.wikipedia.org

  Professor Cezmi A. Akdis assumed the institute’s directorship.

• 2007

  Joined the Life Science Zurich Graduate School

  [1]Swiss Institute of Allergy and Asthma Researchen.wikipedia.org

  SIAF became a member of the joint ETH Zurich and University of Zurich postgraduate education program.

• 1995

  Affiliation with the University of Zurich

  [1]Swiss Institute of Allergy and Asthma Researchen.wikipedia.org

  SIAF became an affiliated institute of the University of Zurich, strengthening its academic and teaching connections.

• 1988

  Institute founded in Davos

  [1]Swiss Institute of Allergy and Asthma Researchen.wikipedia.org

  SIAF was established as an institution of the Schweizerisches Forschungsinstitut für Hochgebirgsklima und Medizin foundation.

A specialized, internationally connected Swiss biomedical research institute focused on translating human immunology and immune regulation into advances in allergy, asthma, and related clinical fields.

• Biomedical research

  Allergy and asthma research

  SIAF conducts research into the biological mechanisms underlying allergy and asthma, with an emphasis on human immunology and findings that may be relevant to patient care. The work includes immune regulation, allergic responses, tissue interactions, and mechanisms that may support improved prevention or treatment.

• Immunology

  Immune regulation research

  A central SIAF research area is the regulation of immune responses, including mechanisms related to allergen tolerance and the control of inflammation. This work connects cellular and molecular studies with broader questions in clinical immunology.

• Cell biology

  Tissue-barrier research

  SIAF investigates the regulation of tissue cells and tissue barriers and develops or studies methods for detecting barrier properties. These topics are relevant to understanding how tissues interact with environmental allergens and inflammatory processes.

• Translational biomedical research

  Vaccine research

  The institute includes vaccine development among its research directions. Its vaccine-related work is situated within a wider program of immune regulation, human immunology, and clinically relevant biomedical investigation.

• Scientific conference

  World Immune Regulation Meeting

  SIAF organizes the annual World Immune Regulation Meeting, an international scientific gathering focused on immune-regulatory research and related developments in immunology.

1. 1Swiss Institute of Allergy and Asthma Researchen.wikipedia.org