The world’s first vaccine for people with coeliac disease is one step closer as phase two clinical trials get underway across Australia, led by The Royal Melbourne Hospital.
The trial holds the potential to protect coeliac patients from the harmful effects of gluten.
Principal Investigator at The Royal Melbourne Hospital and Head of Coeliac Research at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Dr Jason Tye-Din, said patient participation was crucial to the success of the trials of a treatment that could one day be life-changing for people living with coeliac disease.
“This trial is important in establishing clinical proof-of-concept for a treatment that would provide benefit beyond that of the gluten-free diet,” Dr Tye-Din said.
“The gluten-free diet is the only current treatment for coeliac disease but it is onerous, complex and not always effective.
“Even the most diligent patients can suffer the adverse effects of accidental exposure. This study will test if the vaccine, Nexvax2, can specifically target the immune response to gluten in people with coeliac disease and modify the associated effects.”
The trial of Nexvax2® (RESET CeD) for the treatment of coeliac disease will start in Melbourne and then roll out in Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane, Mackay and the Sunshine Coast.
Photo courtesy of The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research. 1G Royal Parade Parkville 3052 Australia
Article sourced from The Royal Melbourne Hospital
