It seems unlikely that a vaccine could be developed that could prevent or cure this autoimmune disease but this is exactly the work that is being done now in Australia. Dr Robert Anderson of the Nuffield Department of Medicine at the University of Oxford is credited with identifying the specific set of protein sequences in gluten that destroy the lining of the small intestine in celiac disease. It is this research work which will be the basis for their search for a vaccine for celiac disease.

Not only could this research result in a vaccine that could prevent celiac disease but it could open a door for a possible cure as well as new diagnostic testing and treatments. It may also lend itself to prevention strategies that might include producing grains that do not contain the harmful sequences.

Dr. Anderson’s research is based on the theory that a certain peptide can desensitize or induce tolerance in individuals with celiac disease. Dr Anderson is hoping to use the peptide or modified form of it to create his vaccine.

Trials for this vaccine are just now currently underway so it could be some time before a vaccine is ready for approval or the market. If this vaccine is successful it could mean the end of gluten free diets for celiac sufferers. Successful trials have already been conducted on mice and now trials are underway to determine the safety of the vaccine, following which researchers will give the vaccine to those in the study and evaluate their response to gluten to see if the vaccine actually works the way it is supposed to in people.

The study will examine the immune response and intestinal conditions by slowly injecting larger amounts of gluten into the study subjects.  The hope is to reduce or completely eliminate gluten sensitivity slowly. The desensitization treatment is similar to that of allergy treatments, and has wide reaching ramifications, if it works for celiac disease it may also be the model for vaccine cures to other devastating autoimmune diseases such as type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and multiple sclerosis.