Pan-European Partnership Designing Advanced Diagnostic for Celiac Disease

A pan-European partnership, including a number of UK-based organizations, will design an advanced diagnostic tool for the detection and control of celiac disease, the most under-diagnosed common chronic condition in the United Kingdom today. The European Commission has invested €12 million into the partnership.

The project aims to develop a point-of-care screening device to be implemented at the primary care level. The proposed disposable microchip used to screen for celiac disease will be used in a portable hand-held device, which will have embedded communication abilities allowing direct storage of test results on a patient's electronic medical record. This will enable easy follow-up, management, and monitoring of the patient's response to withdrawal of gluten from the diet.

The screening device will be capable of carrying out multianalyte tests with the simultaneous detection of celiac disease associated auto-antibodies (IgA and IgG gliadin, glutenin, and tissue transglutaminase) and human-leukocyte-associated antigen- (HLA)-DQ2 and DQ8 genes. The analysis of the HLA-DQ2 and DQ8 will give information as to the genetic predisposition of an individual to developing celiac disease, and the detection of the antibodies will allow for the early diagnosis of celiac disease.

At least one in 1001 people in the United Kingdom is estimated to suffer from celiac disease--a life-long autoimmune disease caused by intolerance to gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye. Celiac disease prevents normal digestion and the absorption of food. Health problems associated with celiac disease include osteoporosis, gastro-intestinal cancer, and increased risk of other autoimmune diseases. The only treatment is a strict gluten-free diet for life. The average length of time taken for someone to be diagnosed with celiac disease from the onset of his or her symptoms is 13 years. The new diagnostic tool aims to help with early detection and to monitor adherence to the diet.

Coeliac UK (High Wycombe, UK), the charity for people with celiac disease and dermatitis herpetiformis (DH), will train healthcare professionals about the disease and new technology. Newcastle University (Newcastle upon Tyne, UK) will be responsible for the development and delivery of the development of a sensing technology platform in the screening device. Scientists at King's College London (UK) will lead the development of an anti-glutenin antibody test, and the Cd medics project will be managed by a company specializing in research project management, iXscient Ltd. (Twickenham, UK).

Development of the technologies involved and their combination in a single product will represent a significant advance in diagnostic technology that has the potential to be applied to the detection of a range of other conditions such as insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus or rheumatoid arthritis.


Related Links:
Coeliac UK
Newcastle University
King's College London