TMS goes to American Academy of Asthma, Allergy, and Immunology (AAAAI) 2026 in Philadelphia

By Jessica Fraser, TMS Executive Director, Shonna Snyder, Ph.D., TMS Sr. Research Scientist, and Vlai Ly, Education and Development Coordinator

This year was an exciting year for TMS at the AAAAI.  Not only did the conference include many aspects of mast cell disease, but also TMS had some major accomplishments while in Philadelphia.

Jessica’s Report:

Philadelphia delivered. From the moment we arrived at the AAAAI Annual Meeting, it was clear this would be one of those weeks that leaves you energized and inspired long after you’re back home.

We kicked things off at the 3rd Annual Hero Summit, organized by Blueprint Medicines, a Sanofi company. It was an honor to be in the room with patient advocates, caregivers, and community leaders all working toward the same goal — and a powerful reminder of why this work matters.

From there, we shifted into our own meetings, hosting a select group of close partners for an early look at our new Strategic Plan. The majority of our Board of Directors were present for that gathering — and for many of us, it was the first time we had ever met in person. There was something genuinely poignant about finally being face to face with the people you’ve been building something with, and more than a few of us felt it. The conversations were rich, the feedback was meaningful, and the energy in that room was something we won’t forget.

We also hosted an update for physicians on our Registry project, which Shonna presented admirably and many attendees were enthusiastic about our progress.

Beyond our own programming, we showed up as learners. The Mast Cell Disorders committee meeting of the AAAAI gave us direct insight into what physicians are prioritizing right now, and the research presentations and posters throughout the week were genuinely eye-opening. There is so much important work happening in this space.

And then there were the people. Over the course of the week, we connected with hundreds of physicians — sharing our resources, hearing their perspectives, and building relationships that will carry this work forward.

It was a full week. An impactful week. We left with full notebooks, new connections, and a whole lot of momentum heading into spring.

Shonna’s Report:

I was privileged to attend conference sessions with several of our Board members, provide an update on the Registry, attend the Mast Cell Committee meeting, as well as meet with several of our physicians and biopharma partners. There is some exciting science occurring at the cellular level in mast cell research and new receptors and mediators are being studied to determine their role in mast cell disease diagnosis and treatment. There were many posters on mast cells and mast cell diseases this year, with over 20 posters in one session. I’m not actually sure just how many mast cell posters there were…but it was a bunch! Awesome! The pharmaceutical companies are expanding their accomplishments within the drug treatment arena and they presented several posters on their results. 

At the Registry Update meeting, I informed our Board and partners that we are on track to launch our MCD Patient and Provider Registry (the MCD Registry) in June. You will hear more about this as we get closer to that deadline. 

Vlai’s Report:

Ever year, the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI) conference serves as an important opportunity for The Mast Cell Disease Society to ensure that our community members’ voices are represented at the premier educational event for allergists, immunologists, and industry partners. I was fortunate enough to represent TMS at two events, a Chronic Hives Summit organized by Novartis as well as at a patient advocacy breakfast. When I wasn’t meeting with other patient advocacy organizations, I was stationed at our TMS booth connecting with hundreds of attendees to share about the great work that TMS does.

For the chronic hives summit, I had the chance to collaborate with leadership from the Allergy & Asthma Network, Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, Global Allergy & Airways Patient Platform, and We CU. We started off by reviewing the work that our individual organizations had done in the past year for individuals with chronic hives. I was able to present on how chronic hives fits into mast cell disorders world while introducing the new educational hubs planned for the TMS website. To wrap everything up, everyone in that room had a great conversation about how we can collaborate to fill the existing gaps and better support patients.

I also participated in a patient advocacy breakfast that featured an important conversation regarding the pros and cons of AI and how it fits into the advocacy world. We then talked about the balance between pushing for change at the legislative level versus at the grassroots level that is so necessary right now, especially with the funding challenges that nonprofits are facing. AAAAI always reinforces the truth about how collaboration with other patient advocacy organizations is vital in better supporting all of our community members like yourself.