This site is intended for Healthcare Professionals only

Coeliac UK launches research fund campaign

Practice bookmark icon off

Coeliac UK launches research fund campaign

Coeliac UK, the largest independent charity for people who need to live gluten free, has launched a research fund and accompanying fundraising appeal, aiming to raise £5 million to change the future for people with coeliac disease and gluten related autoimmune conditions.

The research appeal is being headed up by Coeliac UK’s patron, actor Caroline Quentin who was diagnosed with the autoimmune disease three years ago. It will boost research efforts into key areas identified and agreed by patients, carers and healthcare professionals. The full list can be found here www.coeliac.org.uk/researchfund.

Sarah Sleet, chief executive of Coeliac UK said: “It is possible through further research, that finding the answers to coeliac disease could enable answers to other devastating autoimmune conditions such as Type 1 diabetes. With more people being diagnosed with coeliac disease each year and with new health complications emerging, it is critical that we make the commitment now to change the status quo and make coeliac disease research everyone’s priority.”

A video was produced as part of the appeal launch to show the impact of the disease on those affected. The video shows the various presentations of coeliac disease including refractory coeliac disease type 2 (which is not responsive to the gluten free diet), osteoporosis and gluten ataxia.

The Fund has already received an injection of £500k from Innovate UK, the UK’s innovation agency, which in addition to £250k from the charity, will support a new research competition. Match funding will draw in a further £250k from industry making the first £1 million available from the Fund.

Dr Ian Campbell, Director of Ageing Society, Health and Nutrition, Innovate UK said: “It’s fantastic to be working with charities such as Coeliac UK to promote innovations that will have a real, positive impact on people’s lives.”

Coeliac UK has already committed over £2 million to research projects since 2005 including ground breaking discoveries such as identifying genes associated with coeliac disease and other autoimmune conditions related to gluten. And also funded research towards a vaccine to restore immune tolerance to gluten.

Copy Link copy link button

Practice

Share: