A vaccine against celiac disease as part of clinical trials would allow people to eat gluten again | Simplemost

For years, people with celiac disease lived knowing that there was no cure for this autoimmune disease and that the only treatment possible was a strict gluten-free diet. Now, people with celiac disease have good reason to hope for a cure. and the ability to eat gluten safely again.

ImmusanT, the maker of Nexvax2, has announced that it has launched phase two clinical trials on the vaccine, designed to protect people suffering from celiac disease from accidental exposure to gluten and could, in the long run , "Allow patients to resume their diet without restriction". Leslie Williams, CEO of ImmusanT, said in a statement about clinical trials.

Here's what you need to know:

The first patient in the trial received a dose of vaccine in September. The doctors hope to find a total of 150 participants from the United States, Australia and New Zealand to test Nexvax2.

Celiac disease is a genetic autoimmune disease. If a person with celiac disease accidentally eats wheat, rye or barley, or foods based on these grains, such as soy sauce or beer, their immune system starts to break down. startle, causing an attack of villi of the small intestine.

Even traces of gluten can cause the immune response and damage the villi. For people with celiac disease, this can lead to a host of other health problems, including malnutrition (the damaged villi can not absorb nutrients), infertility, anemia, diarrhea, and diarrhea. osteoporosis, diabetes and even some cancers.

Nexvax2 is specifically designed for celiac patients with the HLA-DQ2.5 genetic form of the disease, which accounts for 90% of people with celiac disease, reported the Sydney Morning Herald.

How does the vaccine against celiac disease work?

The vaccine is not quite the same as the one your children can get for chickenpox, which is designed to prevent them from contracting the disease. Nexvax2 is a "therapeutic" vaccine, which means that it is designed to cope with an immune response already present in the body of people with celiac disease, says Beyond Celiac.

The vaccine is administered slowly, in doses because it "reprograms the T cells responsible for celiac disease to stop triggering a pro-inflammatory response," according to the statement. During the trial, doctors will treat patients for 16 weeks, gradually increasing the body's ability to manipulate gluten proteins in the gut without causing a damaging immune response.

Researchers and health professionals believe that about 1% of the world's population has celiac disease, although many believe that it is under-diagnosed. Organizations such as Beyond Celiac encourage people to look for a diagnosis, which can be done via a blood test.

The organization also encourages patients to differentiate the diagnosis of celiac disease from wheat allergy or other problems, because patients with celiac disease are facing such serious health problems and are required to follow a strict gluten-free diet.

Although this vaccine is exciting for people with celiac disease, researchers are currently testing many different treatments. The Celiac Foundation maintains a list of essays on its Futurs Therapies page, just like Beyond Celiac. The foundation also has a portal to join a research registry, which allows you to help scientists do their work. For more details on the Nexvax2 clinical trial, go to clinicaltrials.gov and search using NCT03644069.