The Canadian Celiac Society created a webinar with Dr Amelia Therrien affiliated with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre in Boston Massachusetts. BIDMC is a teaching and research medical centre associated with the Harvard medical school. 

There was a lot of information in this webinar, here are a few interesting notes. 

Celiac’s take four years of visiting doctors and specialists before being diagnosed as a Celiac. Four years of doctor offices, tests and exams, poked and prodded after all this, most new Celiac’s are Self diagnose. This is the only reason the average is down to 4 years from the 11 years that it was when I first opened my gluten-free bakery in 2007. 

If your sibling has Celiac disease, you have a 15% chance of having it yourself. This surprised me, as the percentage of having Diabetes if your sibling has it is 5%. Both being autoimmune diseases I would have thought the numbers would be closer. 

One study that is being done, is using dairy cow colostrum, there seems to be some connection between colostrum and the protection of the Villi hairs in the small intestine. Colostrum has been shown to prevent the absorption of gluten in the small intestine. This study is being done now. 

Another study is trying to understand if a virus could cause the immune system to attack the Villi, the thinking is that one becomes sick from a virus and while the host body fighting the virus, the virus attacks the immune system changing it to attack the host body. 

There are strips available that can tell you if you have had cross contamination with gluten. You prick your finger and use the strip as diabetics use theirs, needing a blood sample. The manufacturer claims it can tell if you have eaten more than 20mg of gluten (two croutons) Doctor Therrien believes you would need to eat 60mg or more for an accurate test. 

Personally, I am not sure how this helps you unless you could test before you were going out, so you could decide yes or no to actually leaving the house. But even in this instant you would have to test right after you though you were contaminated. And do the strips work this quick, its an option but you would have to pick the time when it could be used. As most Celiac’s know within the first hour after encountering gluten. 

This is how a new drug in American comes to the market through the FDA. I expect Canada is much the same, just couldn’t find the Canadian steps. 

> Phase one pre-clinical trail 

> Phase two Clinical trail 

> Phase three drug application review 

I have been to meetings put on by the local celiac society, and this subject would come up often, “when is there going to be a pill that would allow me to eat gluten without the symptoms.” 

Dr Therrien spoke of drugs that may come on the market; a number are in phase two but there is no drug in Phase three. The drugs being tested are meant to deal with accidental contamination of 2 grams of gluten a ¼ slice of bread. In studies Celiacs who have been contaminated with 2 grams of gluten can take a pill and have very little to no reaction. 

Other drugs that are being studied are for people who follow a gluten free diet but still have the symptoms from gluten. These drugs are in phase two. 

At this time there are no magic pill, that would allow celiacs to eat gluten intentionally. A thank you too, Doctor Therrien as I thought the webinar was of great interest.