About Celiac Disease

Celiac disease (CD) is an autoimmune disorder of the small intestine resulting from intolerance to gluten proteins and it afflicts nearly 1% of most populations (Schuppan 2009, Rubio Tapia 2010). The principal physiology is villous atrophy in the small intestinal epithelium triggered by the ingestion of cereal grains, such as wheat, rye, or barley. CD has no known cure and the only effective therapy is adherence to a lifelong gluten-free diet (GFD). Yet in practice it is virtually impossible to totally avoid gluten (Syage 2018). Patients are continuously exposed to low levels of gluten that can cause symptomatic pain and suffering and persistent histologic damage that can lead to other long-term health issues such as lymphoma, bowel cancer, osteoporosis, anemia, malnutrition, etc. (Kelly 2015, Green 2015). The burden of the disease is enormous on the individuals as well as their family and friends, who must adjust to the dietary and recovery needs of CD individuals. Thus, there is an acute need for non-dietary therapies for celiac disease.

The 3rd Gastroenterology Regulatory Endpoints and Advancement of Therapeutics (GREAT-3) conference sponsored by the FDA in 2015 specifically cited the need to develop treatments that address symptom distress due to inadvertent gluten ingestion and made a clear case for the need of measurement outcome tools relevant to the suffering of CD patients (Leffler 2015).

Clinical Trials

Status: Currently active and enrolling

Enrollment start: November 2020

Solutions for Celiac™ is a clinical research study funded by the NIH (NIAID) that has been designed to assess the drink-based investigational medication latiglutenase and its ability to relieve common symptoms suffered by celiac disease patients after accidental gluten exposure in a real-world setting.

Study details
ClinicalTrials.gov
 

Status: Completed (January 2021)

Enrollment start: May 2019

The CeliacShield Study™ is a clinical research study funded by the NIH (NCCIH) that assesses the ability of latiglutenase, an investigational drug, to protect the small intestine of celiac disease patients from damage caused by gluten exposure.

Study details
ClinicalTrials.gov
 

Status: Completed (September 2018)

The CypCel™ study is designed to investigate the drug biomarker Simvastatin as a minimally-invasive measure of villous health in the small intestine of celiac disease patients recovering on a gluten-free diet.

Study details
ClinicalTrials.gov
 

Celiac Disease Patient Resources