About This Project

Celiac disease (CD) is a chronic autoimmune enteropathy based on intolerance to gluten present in wheat, barley, oats, and rye. Patients present an intestinal inflammatory process and difficulty absorbing nutrients. Diagnosis is based on a blood test to detect antibodies; however, the gold standard is an intestinal biopsies. Therefore, our goal is to find new and minimally invasive biomarkers that complement the detection of antibodies, thereby improving the diagnosis, prognosis, and monitoring of CD.

Ask the Scientists

What is the context of this research?

Celiac disease (CD) is a chronic autoimmune disorder caused by intolerance to gluten found in various types of flour. The most common clinical manifestations include diarrhea and malabsorption. It is considered the most common chronic intestinal disease, but it is often asymptomatic, so many people are unaware they have CD. Lack of early diagnosis is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and/or cancer. Currently, the detection of specific antibodies represents the best diagnostic and monitoring tool. However, they do not replace the gold standard, small intestine biopsies. Therefore, given that many people remain undiagnosed, the search for new minimally invasive biomarkers for CD is of great importance.

What is the significance of this project?

CD is an underdiagnosed disease, and late diagnosis can worsen its progression and promote the development of complications. Therefore, this project proposes to improve diagnosis, prognosis, and follow-up by integrating clinical, genetic, and immunological information about patients. To this end, we will study the relationship between CD and miRNAs (small RNA fragments that regulate gene expression), as some of them could be related to the development of CD. Furthermore, we propose the use of a biosensor to characterize the specific antibodies currently used in diagnosis, which would constitute a novel strategy. Finally, cytokines are small proteins that act as messengers in the immune system, regulating inflammation. Therefore, our working hypothesis is that correlating antibody levels and characteristics, the presence of miRNAs, and the patient's cytokine profile will improve the diagnosis, prognosis, and follow-up of the disease.

What are the goals of the project?

The overall objective is to identify and characterize new molecular biomarkers that improve the diagnosis, prognosis, and monitoring of CD. To this end, our specific objectives are to recruit 30 volunteers with active CD and not on a gluten-free diet, and 30 healthy volunteers. Blood samples will be analyzed for anti-transglutaminase, anti-gliadin, and anti-deaminated gliadin antibodies using specific ELISAs. The quality of these antibodies will be assessed using a biosensor. In addition, the presence of pro-inflammatory (IL1, IL6) and anti-inflammatory (IL10) cytokines will be determined using specific ELISAs, and the presence of microRNAs will be determined using real-time PCR. Finally, the results obtained from both study groups (with and without active CD) will be analyzed, seeking associations with clinical-epidemiological data using different statistical analyses.