My Celiac Blog

Woo Hoo! Food scientists working together at Washington State University and Oregon State University are planning to develop a new variant of wheat that would not contain the gliadin proteins which cause trouble for people with celiac disease. This, if it comes to pass, would be earth shatteringly good news for those of us with grouchy tummies!

An article on the website Capital Press, which caters to the agriculture industry, reports the good news.

I'd like to thank these food scientists for caring about this issue, and wanting to help overcome this annoying disease.

Imagine sinking your teeth deep into a nice French Baguette like the one shown here, then pulling it ever so slowly away, teeth still clenched firmly, and watching as it stretches and then tears in a way that gluten-free bread just does not do at all.

Imagine eating bread that tastes like bread. Oh yes, I am so there. I might gain 10 pounds in the first week such a wheat-based gluten-free bread becomes available, but I would cherish each and every one of those pounds. Sock it to me, science!

Technorati Tags: celiac disease, celiac diet, gluten-free, food science, research, GF wheat, woo hoo!, gluten free bread

California baker Food For Life has recalled their spelt bread product because it contains spelt. No, really.

Food For Life Baking Company of Corona, California is voluntarily recalling 2,241 cases of Spelt Bread (UPC# 07347200168) because they contain spelt grain which is known to be a hybrid of wheat.

You see under the newly revised food allergen labeling laws, any product that contains one of the leading food allergens must be labelled as containing that allergen. Food For Life Spelt bread contains Spelt, Spelt is a wheat hybrid, the package did not state that the product contains wheat. Ooops.

Technorati Tags: Spelt, Food For Life, FDA, Recall, celiac disease, gluten free, gluten free diet, wheat hybrid

On the late TV series Futurama, an episode once contained a short skit about Crelm toothpaste, which had the miracle ingredient Fraudulin.

This post is not about Crelm toothpaste.

There is a company named Enzymedica that sells, among other things, a product called Glutenease. In their literature describing this product they make some rather startling statements, let us examine one in particular, the context is a discussion of the usefulness or lack thereof of the gluten free diet as a means of treating celiac disease, which is also called gluten intolerance.

Glutenease by Enzymedica Marketing Statement
"Though effective in the short term, removing foods does not provide an ultimate solution. Once those foods are reintroduced to the diet, the symptoms return. "

Now imagine a person who is drunk, or high, playing Russian Roulette, and then suddenly realizing it is not a very smart thing to do:

Russian Roullette Claim Using Similar Logic

"Though effective in the short term, putting the gun down does not provide an ultimate solution. Once the gun is reinserted in the mouth, the person could die".

We do not recommend that people with celiac disease, which is sometimes called gluten intolerance, should play Russian Roulette with their health. You can see more discussion of this product here.

Technorati Tags: Gluten free, gluten free diet, deceptive marketing, celiac disease, celiac diet, woo, dangerous products, misleading advertising

BALTIMORE, May 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Alba Therapeutics Corporation today announced preliminary results from its Phase IIa clinical trial for AT-1001 in subjects with Celiac Disease (CD), an autoimmune disease affecting over 3 million people in the United States. Alba's study, the first Phase IIa trial in CD and the first to assess dosing requirements for AT-1001 in CD, was designed to evaluate the safety, tolerability and efficacy of multiple doses of AT-1001 in CD subjects during a 2-week gluten challenge.

The randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial enrolled 86 patients who were confirmed biopsy positive for CD and in compliance with a gluten-free diet for at least six months prior to enrollment. Patients were randomized into seven drug-treated and placebo groups and challenged three times a day with gluten during a 14-day period. Four doses of the enteric coated oral formulation of AT-1001, all less than 10 mg, were given prior to each gluten challenge. Study endpoints included intestinal permeability (IP) -- a marker of disease state in CD -- as well
as patient symptoms and outcomes, measured by two validated tests of gastrointestinal disease outcome: the Gastrointestinal Symptoms Rating Scale (GSRS) and the Psychological General Well-Being Index (PGWBI).

Preliminary analysis revealed the following:

• At day 14, IP, as measured by the change in urinary lactulose-to-mannitol (LA/MA) ratio, exhibited a dose dependent response. On day 21, one week after the final drug dosing and gluten challenge, the dose dependent trend continued to statistically significant levels.
• The GSRS and PGWBI provided additional efficacy signals that further support the IP observations. Patients on the AT-1001 drug arms performed better than those on the gluten/placebo arm. Analyses demonstrated that several symptoms and outcomes improved at statistically significant levels.
• Safety and tolerability of multiple oral doses of AT-1001 in the patient population was demonstrated. There were no Severe Adverse Events and all Adverse Events were reported as mild or moderate.

"We are very encouraged by the preliminary data and look forward to applying the extensive knowledge gained in this Phase IIa exploratory clinical trial to a larger, highly powered Phase IIb gluten challenge study later this year" said Blake Paterson, M.D., Chief Executive Officer of Alba
Therapeutics. Using the highly complex and ambitious seven arm study design for the Phase IIa trial, we repeated the proof of concept from the Phase Ib study, showed a statistically significant effect across a variety of measures and are well prepared to move the celiac program forward."

Based on these results, Alba will advance AT-1001 into a Phase IIb clinical study in CD subjects during the third quarter of 2007. The Phase IIb study, to be performed in multiple centers in the United States and Canada, will assess the efficacy of AT-1001 utilizing multiple endpoints,
including a composite index of disease activity. The first patient is expected to be enrolled into this study in the third quarter of 2007, and the study should conclude in early 2008.

About Celiac Disease
Celiac Disease is a T-cell mediated autoimmune disease that occurs in genetically susceptible individuals and is characterized by small intestinal inflammation, injury and intolerance to gluten. According to the National Institutes of Health, CD affects approximately 3 million Americans. The only current treatment for CD is complete elimination of gluten from the diet, which results in remission for some patients.

About Alba
Alba Therapeutics Corporation is a privately held biopharmaceutical company based in Baltimore, Maryland dedicated to the development and commercialization of disease modifying therapeutics to treat autoimmune and inflammatory diseases based upon the regulation of tight junctions. Alba's lead compound, AT-1001, is targeted towards the treatment of Celiac Disease, Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Type 1 Diabetes

Contact: Stuart Sedlack, SVP, Corporate Development
Phone: +1-410-319-0780
E-mail: info@albatherapeutics.com
Web site: http://www.albatherapeutics.com

Technorati Tags: celiac disease, AT-1001, drug trial, alba pharmaceuticals, drug for celiac disease

Here are a few other websites that might be of interest to people with celiac disease or anyone else that wants to maintain a gluten free diet.

The Sensible Celiac

The Celiac Shop

The GF Store

And yes, all of these are my own celiac sites.

Technorati Tags: Celiac disease, celiac, gluten free diet