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Influence of the dietary history in the prevention of coeliac disease: possibilities of induction of tolerance for gluten in genetic predisposed children
Project status:
From: 2007-01-01
To: 2010-12-31
(Completed)
Contract number:
Action line:
FP6-FOOD
Type (Programme):
FP6
Instrument:
STREP
Project cost:
4.060.727,00 EUR
Project funding:
3.675.000,00 EUR
Project coordinator
Organisation Name:
ACADEMISCH ZIEKENHUIS LEIDEN ACTING UNDER THE NAME LEIDS UNIVERSITAIR MEDISCH CENTRUM
Organisation adress:
Organisation country:
Nizozemska
Contact person name:
Maria Luisa MEARIN
Contact person email:
Croatian partner
Organisation name:
Medicinski fakultet
Organisation address:
CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL ZAGREB, REFERRAL CENTER FOR PAEDIATRIC GASTROENTEROLOGY AND NUTRITION
Contact person name:
SANJA KOLACEK
Contact person tel:
Contact person fax:
Contact person e-mail:
Partners
Organisation name
Country
Short description of project
Coeliac disease (CD) is a chronic disorder caused by hypersensitivity to some of the most common proteins (gluten) in the diet of the European population. CD affects as much as 1% of the Europeans (2.5 million people) and is the most common food intolerance in Europe. If recognised, CD patients have only limited access to safe foods and there is no causal therapy available. The general objective of this STREP is to significantly reduce the number of people suffering from CD in Europe, by developing primary prevention strategies for CD. By European collaboration of leaders from disciplines beyond those traditionally used, a.o. from academia, patient organisations and industry, we will carry out innovative research to examine the hypothesis that it is possible to induce tolerance for gluten in genetically predisposed children through the introduction of small quantities of gluten during the period of breast-feeding. Measurable objectives are: 1) Taking full advantage of genomics techniques: Identification of the immunological mechanisms involved in initiating the aberrant response to gluten introduction in the diet of infants genetically predisposed to CD; 2) Identification of the factors in the early dietary history involved in the aberrant response to gluten in children; 3) Development of new European guidelines for early nutrition in order to prevent CD. To achieve our objectives we propose the following structure and methodology: I) A prospective, randomized, blind dietary intervention study in 1000 young children from high-risk families for CD , to asses the possibilities to induce immune tolerance for gluten in genetically predisposed children; II) A follow-up population study in 16.000 children aged 12 years, born during and after the Swedish epidemic of CD, to asses the late effect of dietary history, concerning gluten exposure and breast-feeding, on the development of CD and related autoimmune phenomena.
Short description of the task performed by Croatian partner