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Toxic Trio Identified as the Basis of Celiac Disease

ScienceDaily (July 22, 2010) — Walter and Eliza Hall Institute scientists have identified the three protein fragments that make gluten — the main protein in wheat, rye and barley — toxic to people with coeliac disease.

Professor Bob Anderson from the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute in Melbourne, Australia, has identified the three protein fragments that make gluten -- the main protein in wheat, rye and barley -- toxic to people with celiac disease. (Credit: Czesia Markiewicz, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute)

Their discovery opens the way for a new generation of diagnostics, treatments, prevention strategies and food tests for the millions of people worldwide with coeliac disease.

When people with coeliac disease eat products containing gluten their body’s immune response is switched on and the lining of the small intestine is damaged, hampering their ability to absorb nutrients. The disease is currently treated by permanently removing gluten from the patient’s diet.

Dr Bob Anderson, head of the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute’s coeliac disease research laboratory, said it had been 60 years since gluten was discovered to be the environmental cause of coeliac disease.

“In the years since, the holy grail in coeliac disease research has been to identify the toxic peptide components of gluten; and that’s what we’ve done,” Dr Anderson said.

The research, done in collaboration with Dr Jason Tye-Din, Dr James Dromey, Dr Stuart Mannering, Dr Jessica Stewart and Dr Tim Beissbarth from the institute as well as Professor Jamie Rossjohn at Monash University and Professor Jim McCluskey at the University of Melbourne, is published in the journalScience Translational Medicine.

Dr. Bob Anderson & John Libonati at an NFCA-sponsored event April 30, 2009 in Philadelphia, USA where Dr. Anderson described his research and vaccine.

The study was started by Professor Anderson nine years ago and has involved researchers in Australia and the UK as well as more than 200 coeliac disease patients.

The patients, recruited through the Coeliac Society of Victoria and the Coeliac Clinic at John Radcliffe Hospital, UK, ate bread, rye muffins or boiled barley. Six days later, blood samples were taken to measure the strength of the patients’ immune responses to 2700 different gluten fragments. The responses identified 90 fragments as causing some level of immune reaction, but three gluten fragments (peptides) were revealed as being particularly toxic.

“These three components account for the majority of the immune response to gluten that is observed in people with coeliac disease,” Dr Anderson said.

Columbia Celiac Disease Center needs participants for survey (SURVEY IS CLOSED)

 

 

 

The Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University is starting a research study to assess the knowledge of chefs and the general public about celiac disease. They are also looking at people who follow the gluten-free diet (because of celiac disease or gluten sensitivity) and whether their quality of life with respect to restaurant eating is affected because of the diet.

Boston College Business School Team Seeks Special Dietary Needs Information

A team of business school students from Boston College invites the gluten-free community to participate in an important market research survey. The goal is to learn more about consumers with specific dietary needs. The results of the survey will be used to assist in offering detailed recommendations about how to better support the community with unique, high-quality, gluten-free foods. This survey is intended for market research purposes only. Your opinion will be kept confidential. All results will be reported in the aggregate and not as individual entries.

Breastfed Babies at Reduced Risk for Developing Celiac Disease Autoimmunity

According to the Centers for Disease Control, as of 2006, 33.1% of women were choosing to exclusively breastfeed their newborn from 0-3 months of age. At the one-year mark, only 22.7% of women were still breastfeeding their baby (non-exclusively).

The American Academy of Pediatrics Committee, the World Health Organization (WHO), the Canadian Pediatric Society, the Pediatric Society of New Zealand, and other similar organizations in various countries worldwide have all made statements on infant feeding and the appropriate time to introduce solid foods into a baby’s diet. The current consensus is that solid food should not be introduced until at least the age of 4-6 months, if not later.

Psoriasis and Celiac Disease – Genetic Link

The research below further supports the links demonstrated between celiac disease and psoriasis as noted in the book “Recognizing Celiac Disease.” (www.recognizingceliacdisease.com) Although not the focus of this study, the link could be a genetic… 

Scientists uncover further steps leading to celiac disease

Contact: Sally Webster s.webster@qmul.ac.uk 44-207-882-5404 Queen Mary, University of London Scientists who last year identified a new genetic risk factor for coeliac disease, have, following continued research, discovered an additional seven gene regions implicated in…