Swiss Institute of Allergy and Asthma Research (SIAF), founded in 1988, performs basic research in the field of allergy and asthma with the aim to improve the understanding and treatment of these conditions, which affect around 30-40% of the westernized population. The Institute has its roots in the Tuberculosis Research Institute of Davos, a medical society founded in 1905 to study the beneficial effects of high altitude treatment of tuberculosis. At present, the SIAF operates as a branch of the Swiss Research Institute (SFI) for High-Altitude Medicine in Davos, Switzerland.
Since the founding of the SIAF, Prof. Kurt Blaser, the head of the institute from 1986-2006, has transformed the institute into a cutting edge research institute, specialized in human immunobiology. Despite its small size (25-30 employees) and very tight budget, the SIAF has published over 600 publications in peer-reviewed journals.
The research at SIAF is performed in cooperation with the SFI clinics in Davos, the University of Zürich and other specialized clinics. In addition, SIAF scientists take active roles in the Global Allergy and Asthma European Network of Excellence (GA2LEN), the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) and American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (AAAAI). SIAF continuously organizes World Immune Regulation Meetings (700-800 participants) and EAACI-Davos meetings (100 EAACI Junior Members). It has four research groups: Immunology, Immunodermatology, Molecular Immunology, Molecular Allergology. Each group consists of one technician and up to 6 scientists.