Crossed Grain

August 2023 Issue 122 Your charity newsletter Y ou, our community, have continued to support our mission to find a cure for coeliac disease. The response to our research appeal earlier this year saw you raise an incredible £100,000 which has enabled us to launch a new call for research proposals to start in 2024. Thank you for being part of such an amazing effort! This new call is reaching out to researchers across the globe to invite them to put forward proposals to match our vital research priorities. These include finding the triggers for coeliac disease, finding less invasive tests for diagnosis, preventing the onset of coeliac disease and finding a cure. We know that a cure for coeliac disease means different things to different people. For some, a cure means preventing coeliac disease from ever developing. For those already diagnosed, a cure means no longer needing to maintain a gluten free diet, and for others, it simply means successful management of the condition and a good quality of life. We remain conscious of these different views, but know that for everyone, a cure means living a life that is not limited by gluten and we are thrilled to be able to keep working towards this vision, thanks to your support. One research project, currently underway, thanks to your generous donations is being led by Dr Michael FitzPatrick, researcher at Oxford University and consultant gastroenterologist at Oxford University Hospitals. He said: “Our project aims to look at exactly where the key immune cells driving coeliac disease are found in the gut lining, and how they interact. The project really wouldn’t be possible without the generosity of Coeliac UK donors. ” The grants you have made possible are a crucial source of funding for researchers who can struggle to secure support from other funding streams not dedicated to coeliac disease. Without our grants many of these projects would not take place. It is only with your support, we can maintain this research momentum and keep expert researchers focused on coeliac disease. With your support, we will continue to invest in research taking us further along the Journey to a Cure. To donate to the Research Fund, scan the QR code , visit www.coeliac.org.uk/rf-donate or call us on 0333 332 2033 New call for research proposals made possible thanks to your support Dr Michael FitzPatrick, Consultant Gastroenterologist at Oxford University Hospitals.