We have often stated that Coeliac disease is a life-long autoimmune disease, which is triggered
by eating gluten, a type of protein found in wheat, rye and barley.
Untreated it can lead to serious ill health and be life-threatening.
There is currently no cure for the condition; the only treatment is
life-long adherence to a strict gluten-free diet.
Coeliac UK, the national charity for people with coeliac disease, is being proactive and hosting a conference on Wednesday 3rd Decemberin central London announcing the latest findings in coeliac disease research including progress on the development of a possible vaccine for the condition.
Research at The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute in Australia has identified the toxic elements of gluten creating the potential for a vaccine therapy to suppress or prevent gluten toxicity. The research indicates that there are only a few dominant peptides in the gluten protein that trigger the autoimmune response in people with coeliac disease which makes the creation of a vaccine easier.
The lead researcher stated “We have developed a peptide-based therapeutic vaccine based on the dominant problem T-cell epitopes of gluten. The “vaccine” has the potential to treat about 80% of people with the disease. In common with traditional desensitization therapy for allergy, peptide-based therapeutic vaccines administered in many small doses over a course of injections could induce immune tolerance not only to the selected gluten fragments but also suppress the toxicity of other toxic gluten components,”.
Further research findings will be provided at the conference identifying a new genetic risk factor for coeliac disease and, following continued research, discovered an additional seven gene regions implicated in causing the condition. Of the nine coeliac gene regions now known, four of these are also predisposing factors for type 1 diabetes. Their research sheds light not only on the nature of coeliac disease, but on the common origins of both diseases.
Other speakers at the conference will be highlighting advancements in testing of gluten in food, the nutritional content of a gluten-free diet and the need for point of care testing in order to help increase the number of people diagnosed.
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