Researchers have identified new treatment targets for coeliac disease which could relieve symptoms and pave the way for drugs to treat the condition.
Coeliac disease affects one in 100 people in the UK and there is currently no cure.
The only way to treat symptoms is following a life-long gluten-free diet, but there is an unmet clinical need for alternative treatment options.
Now researchers at the University of Dundee have found that targeting the molecules involved in the inflammatory response experienced by coeliacs when eating gluten could lead to new treatments in the future.
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The findings open new avenues of research for drugs that could treat coeliac disease symptoms.
The team, led by Dr Mahima Swamy, discovered the IL-15 protein responsible for immune response and consequent inflammation also regulates immune cell proliferation, leading to gut damage.
Lead research author Olivia James said: “In patients with coeliac disease both the levels of IL-15 and the numbers of IEL, a type of T-cell, are increased in the small intestine, leading to T cell-mediated damage of the intestinal lining.
“We wanted to understand how high levels of IL-15 might trigger the IEL to damage the intestinal tissue.”
IL-15 acts as a communicator between the lining of the gut and intestinal immune cells, and when the lining of the gut is distressed or damaged more IL-15 is released, causing the immune cells to kill the damaged cells.
Scientists also found a group of enzymes called PIM Kinases, high in those who suffer from coeliac disease, could be targets for drugs.
She added: “We have shown that coeliac disease patients express high levels of PIM kinases, and using animal models, we have shown that without PIM kinases, IEL do not proliferate, grow or increase their cytotoxic machinery.
“These are exciting results as uncovering the mechanisms by which IL-15 leads to T cell-mediated damage in the small intestine is instrumental in treating coeliac disease.
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“While we are still exploring the mechanisms of PIM kinases in IEL however, PIM kinase inhibitors are in phase I clinical trials and in the future could be used to treat coeliac disease patients by limiting IEL numbers and subsequent damage to the small intestine.”
Coeliac disease is a long-term autoimmune disorder where the immune cells attack the body’s healthy tissues when eating gluten.
This damages the small intestine, making patients unable to take in nutrients, leading to complications like deficiencies, weakening of the bones and even cancer.
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