Non-invasive Diagnostic Platform Development for Celiac Disease Remission Status

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The purpose of this proposal is to adapt a technology that we have developed for monitoring residual disease in leukemia patients to monitor residual autoimmune disease in Celiac Disease patients. Celiac disease hasa significant burden on quality of life, as it is one of the most frequent autoimmune diseases, with an estimated prevalence of approximately 1% in populations of European descent. The sole treatment for celiac disease is to adopt a gluten-free diet, which resolves acute symptoms and intestinal pathology in a large majority of patients. Approximately one in twenty celiac patients will develop refractory celiac disease, where intestinal inflammation persists after 12 months of adherence to a gluten free diet. Refractory celiac disease patients are at risk for an aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma that is without effective treatments. Refractory celiac disease diagnosis is made from a biopsy of the small intestine, so a non-invasive diagnostic tool that co