{"id":1981,"date":"2025-11-28T09:09:42","date_gmt":"2025-11-28T09:09:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/insa.ub.edu\/actualitat\/the-enzyme-that-could-revolutionise-celiac-disease-treatment\/"},"modified":"2025-11-28T09:21:16","modified_gmt":"2025-11-28T09:21:16","slug":"the-enzyme-that-could-revolutionise-celiac-disease-treatment","status":"publish","type":"actualitat","link":"https:\/\/insa.ub.edu\/en\/actualitat\/the-enzyme-that-could-revolutionise-celiac-disease-treatment\/","title":{"rendered":"The enzyme that could revolutionise celiac disease treatment"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3><b>The University of Barcelona and the CSIC develop a protein that breaks down gluten and opens new paths to treat celiac disease.<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A team of researchers from the University of Barcelona (UB) and the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) has developed a new protein capable of breaking down gluten with high efficiency.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWith this enzyme, we\u2019ve seen clear improvements, both in the reduction of specific antibodies and in the regeneration of intestinal tissue,\u201d explain Dr. Francisco P\u00e9rez, the project leader, and researcher Marina Girbal. And that\u2019s a key factor in the context of celiac disease.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Today, diagnosing and monitoring celiac disease mainly rely on two key tests: detecting specific antibodies and performing an intestinal biopsy. That\u2019s because these are precisely the two parts of the body most affected by the condition. When someone has celiac disease, antibody levels rise and the intestinal tissue becomes damaged. \u201cThis enzyme helps improve both aspects,\u201d explains Girbal.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b>Born from a carnivorous plant. The future? Wide open<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It all began with a carnivorous plant, one that was found to contain this enzyme capable of breaking down toxic gluten fragments. Its potential had already been partly demonstrated, but the company holding the patent had, as so often happens, put it away in a drawer and forgotten about it. CSIC researchers later recovered the enzyme and introduced several modifications that allowed it to be produced in greater quantities and much more efficiently.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cAnd these improvements were substantial enough to create a new, separate patent \u2014 the one for the modified enzyme we\u2019re working with now,\u201d concludes the researcher. She adds that this is a discovery with many potential applications. \u201cRight now, our main priority is to ensure its continuity. We want to keep researching, so we\u2019re open to everything \u2014 any collaboration would be more than welcome, and there are many possible uses we could explore.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b>An enzyme with great potential<\/b><b><br \/>\n<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Although research has initially focused on the medical field, the project leaders emphasize that the possibilities of this enzyme go far beyond that.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One possible application, for example, could be in the food industry \u2014 either to produce gluten-free products or as a tool to remove traces of gluten during manufacturing processes. \u201cImagine a company that works with oats and nuts, which might contain traces of gluten \u2014 this enzyme could be used to ensure proper cleaning,\u201d explains Marina Girbal.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Although the main goal is clear, \u201canother objective we could set for ourselves is to explore whether this enzyme could become something like a lactase equivalent \u2014 but for people with celiac disease or gluten intolerance. In other words, it could be developed as a pill, allowing celiac or gluten-intolerant individuals to eat out without worrying.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some say this breakthrough could represent a major step forward in the treatment and quality of life of people with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity. And the more optimistic believe that, if the laboratory results are confirmed in clinical studies, the enzyme could eventually become a truly revolutionary tool.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In any case, as Girbal notes, \u201cwhat really matters now is ensuring the project\u2019s continuity and developing it until it can be applied in the real world. There\u2019s still a long way to go, but also enormous potential.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b>For more information and potential collaborations:<\/b><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"mailto:franciscoperez@ub.edu\"><b>franciscoperez@ub.edu<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"mailto:marinagirbal@ub.edu\"><b>marinagirbal@ub.edu<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone  wp-image-1979\" src=\"https:\/\/insa.ub.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Foto-Grup-1-1-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"575\" height=\"383\" srcset=\"https:\/\/insa.ub.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Foto-Grup-1-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/insa.ub.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Foto-Grup-1-1-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/insa.ub.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Foto-Grup-1-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/insa.ub.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Foto-Grup-1-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/insa.ub.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Foto-Grup-1-1-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 575px) 100vw, 575px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":1895,"template":"","actualitat_tipus":[17],"class_list":["post-1981","actualitat","type-actualitat","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","actualitat_tipus-noticia"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>The enzyme that could revolutionise celiac disease treatment - INSA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/insa.ub.edu\/en\/actualitat\/the-enzyme-that-could-revolutionise-celiac-disease-treatment\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The enzyme that could revolutionise celiac disease treatment - INSA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The University of Barcelona and the CSIC develop a protein that breaks down gluten and opens new paths to treat celiac disease. 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