One aim is to characterise the bacterial microbiota structure in patients with celiac disease and their first-degree relatives. Are there distinct features in a Celiac Disease patient? What are these bacteria doing? Do they impact gluten digestion?

Another aim is to contribute to the understanding of gluten-microbiota-immune system interplay. Do bacteria influence gluten digest presentation to the immune system? Do they contribute to gut inflammation and gluten or bacterial translocation?

Avoiding gluten is currently the only way to prevent intestinal damage, relieve symptoms, and avoid complications. But eating even the tiniest fraction of gluten immediately re-triggers symptoms and intestinal damage in most Celiac Disease patients. Moreover, around 30% of Celiac Disease patients still have symptoms despite avoiding gluten and having no alternative treatment for their disease.

Keywords: Celiac Disease, Gluten digestion, Microbiome

Principal investigator: Sónia Gonçalves Pereira (sonia.pereira@ulo.pt) 

Research Team:

• ciTechCare: Ana Isabel Roque (ana.g.roque@ulo.pt); Catarina Reis (catarina.reis@iscte-iul.pt); Flávio Costa (flavio.p.costa@ulo.pt)
• Chemistry Center of Coimbra University of Coimbra: Daniela Cipreste Vaz (Co-PI)
• Celiac Disease Research Center of the Tampere University: Katri Lindfors; Kati Juuti-Uusitalo
• Harvard Medical School: Alessio Fasano
• Instituto de Agroquímica e Tecnología de Alimentos: Alfonso Benitez Paez

Duration: 44 months (2023 – 2026)

Institutional partners and others:

• Chemistry Center of Coimbra (University of Coimbra, Portugal)
• Celiac Disease Research Center (Tampere University, Finland)
• Harvard Medical School (USA)

Funding: Beyond Celiac Foundation