Groundbreaking work by researchers at Melbourne’s Walter and Eliza Hall Institute (WEHI) has created a world-first blood test that could dramatically change the diagnostic process for coeliac disease.
The innovative test was developed with Novoviah Pharmaceuticals. It will spare people from the painful and often debilitating ‘gluten challenge’ which requires patients to eat gluten for several weeks and then undergo invasive procedures like a gastroscopy and biopsy. Many people avoid seeking a confirmed diagnosis because of this process, meaning current prevalence of coeliac disease is likely to be severely underestimated.
The new study has demonstrated that the test can detect gluten-specific T-cell activity by measuring interleukin-2 (IL-2) levels in blood samples, even when patients are on a strict gluten-free diet. The test showed up to 90 per cent sensitivity and 97 per cent specificity, making it one of the most accurate diagnostic tools for coeliac disease to date.
While the technology is not yet available in standard pathology labs, researchers hope it will soon become a routine diagnostic tool, marking a major advancement in autoimmune disease care.
Reference: Moscatelli, O. et al., Blood-Based T-Cell Diagnosis of Celiac Disease. Gastroenterology. Published online ahead of print and available with Open Access.
For additional reporting see the WEHI website.
