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The newly formed Celiac Sprue Research Foundation has been working towards
a cure for celiac disease.  Below is their latest findings just published
in Science Magazine.  More information about the Foundation is at
www.celiacsprue.org.  The Foundation has just signed contracts and is
hiring top notch researchers from throughout the US and Europe but all this
has a cost.  We need your help to fund the lab.  Please read the website
and donate by either sending a check or using your credit card.  All money
donated goes directly to research.
The fundraising effort is being carried out by volunteers.  If you have
some talent in fundraising, please send me a note at
[log in to unmask]  Any amount helps.  Fundraising ideas include bake
sales, car washes, gluten free dinners, silent auctions, golf
tournaments.....  We can provide speakers to discuss research at any event
you organize.
Kelly


Gut Reaction to Gluten
The "whole grain" revolution may have delighted health fanatics,
but not so for patients of the autoimmune disease celiac sprue. In
this genetic disorder (also known as celiac disease), gluten -- a
collective term for a group of proteins found in wheat, oats, and
other whole grains -- triggers an inflammatory immune response
that targets the lining of the small intestine. The result is
malabsorption of nutrients and severe anemia that, if left untreated,
can lead to death. Today, the only effective treatment of celiac
sprue is strict adherence to a gluten-free diet, but a report by Shan
et al.
( http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/short/297/5590/2275 )
in the 27 Sep 2002 *Science* hints at a potential future alternative.
The researchers identified a 33-amino acid gluten peptide that
seems to trigger the immune response. Interestingly, the peptide
can be "detoxified" by exposure to a bacterial peptidase,
suggesting that oral administration of the enzyme to patients at the
time of gluten ingestion could thwart the peptide's effects. A
Perspective by D. Schluppan and E. G. Hahn
( http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/short/297/5590/2218 )
discussed the findings and the prospect of developing other
"intervention strategies" for the treatment celiac sprue.

* Visit the Celiac Web Page at www.enabling.org/ia/celiac/index.html *