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We are very pleased to report that Donald Kasarda, PhD, a cereal chemist
who has contributed much of his career to research on grains and their
relation to celiac disease, was recently awarded the United Kingdom's
Rank Prize for Nutrition, in ceremonies held at the Royal Society of
Medicine in London.

Dr. Kasarda was praised for his contributions to understanding the
structure of wheat proteins, or parts of these proteins called peptides,
in relation to their ability to trigger celiac disease in susceptible
individuals. While prizes have been awarded previously to researchers
who have studied gluten-containing grains, this is the first time
studies related to celiac disease were so honored.

Dr. Kasarda has worked on projects related to celiac disease for nearly
25 years at the US Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Agricultural
Research Service (ARS) at the Western Regional Research Center in Albany
California. He is responsible for introducing plant taxonomic
classifications in combination with protein sequences as a guide to the
toxicity of grains. This breakthrough made it possible to determine with
relative certainty which grains might be toxic and which would be safe.
Others have recognized his pionering contributions and he has become a
world expert on grains and their relation to celiac disease.

Without his work and his steady dedication to this specialized area,
celiacs in this country would still be floundering in a sea of
undocumented misinformation. We celiacs are indebted to Dr. Kasarda for
guidance that helps us understand grain protein composition and food
chemistry in relation to a safe diet.

Therefore we were extremely pleased to report his award, but at the same
time, extremely upset to report the following:

In a distressing coincidence, recognition of Dr. Kasarda's achievements
comes at a time when funding for the group at the USDA/ARS Western
Regional Research Center that is sponsoring his work has been cut from
the proposed federal budget for 2003. After his recent retirement, Dr.
Kasarda retained an office and laboratory space as a Collaborator
sponsored by a project called "Molecular Analysis of Environmental
Effects on Wheat Grain Development, Productivity and Quality." If the
proposed budget goes into effect, this project will be terminated on
September 31, 2002.

Termination of the project will not only greatly diminish the
possibilities for Dr. Kasarda to continue to contribute to celiac
disease research, but it will also remove any possibility for new
research concerning grains and their relation to celiac disease that
might be proposed and funded by the Molecular Analysis Group at the
Albany location.

So we urge celiacs across the country to join us in a letter-writing
campaign to key legislators asking them to oppose the cuts in funding to
the USDA/ARS Western Regional Research Center. The most important people
to contact are the chairpersons and members of the agricultural
appropriations subcommittees that oversee the USDA Agricultural Research
Service. You can also write to the chairs of the appropriations
committees in the Senate and House. And, of course, you can contact your
senator or local congressperson.

The most important are those on the agricultural appropriations
subcommittees in the Senate and House.

They are found at

        http://www.senate.gov/committees/index.cfm

and

        http://www.house.gov/appropriations/


Ann Whelan <[log in to unmask]>
Gluten-Free Living

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