Researchers at Washington State University have created a new, genetically distinct variety of wheat that’s safer for people with celiac disease, opening the door for new treatments and healing potential for the staple grain.
Researchers at Washington State University have created a new, genetically distinct variety of wheat that’s safer for people with celiac disease, opening the door for new treatments and healing potential for the staple grain.
For more than 2 million U.S. people who suffer from celiac disease, traditional staples like wheat bread and pasta are off the menu.
With celiac, the body’s immune system reacts when we eat gluten — the protein that gives breads, pasta and cereal their chewy, crunchy texture — causing nausea, cramps, malnutrition and other health problems. There is no treatment for celiac, other than avoiding foods made with wheat or eating an enzyme supplement with every meal.
Working together, scientists at Washington State University, Clemson University, and partner institutions in Chile, China and France developed a new genotype of wheat with built‑in enzymes designed to break down the proteins that cause the body’s immune reaction. Their discovery, published in the January issue of Functional and Integrative Genomics, opens the door to new treatments for celiac and for new wheat crops with a built‑in defense against the disease.
Continue reading at Washington State University.
Image via Washington State University.
