<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

URGENT:  Volunteers  Who have Celiac Sprue: research subjects needed.
For the past several years, Gary M. Gray, M.D. and Chaitan Khosla, Ph.D.,
both at Stanford University, have been studying the underlying causes of
Celiac Disease, with an eye toward finding a therapeutic solution that
would not require the strict adherence to a gluten-free diet.  For the past
two years, I have helped organize the Celiac conference at Stanford
University; and we have collected blood from Celiac volunteers for their
research. Based on a series of studies involving animal tissue, Drs. Gray,
Khosla, and coworkers have developed a hypothesis for the cause of the
disease.  Their findings in animal studies need to be confirmed on human
tissue, and any differences in normal and Celiac intestine must be
defined.  The Stanford researchers are now in need of volunteers who are
scheduled for a follow-up biopsy as part of their optimal care to provide
intestinal tissue samples.  Volunteers must be biopsy-diagnosed Celiacs
who, as part of their care, will be undergoing an upper gastrointestinal
endoscopy for recovery of small biopsies from the duodenum.  For this
research, two small (a few milligrams) of additional tissue will be taken
during the biopsy, frozen immediately, and transported to Stanford.  Please
note that volunteers undergoing procedures at locations other than Stanford
Hospital could participate.  The small amount of additional tissue does not
constitute a significant additional risk over and above that you will
undergo due to the endoscopy and routine biopsies for the pathologist to
examine.  The research has been approved by the Human Subjects Committee at
Stanford University Medical Center.

If you would like to participate in this study, please contact Kelly Rohlfs
at 650-725-4771 or [log in to unmask] you have questions
concerning the risks and benefits of this study, please contact Dr. Gray at
650-725-3366 or [log in to unmask]  Dr. Gray will coordinate the study with
your gastroenterologist at the time of your endoscopy.