Coeliac Disease Research to Watch in 2026
We highlight some of the most promising and exciting medical research studies into coeliac disease for 2026
Hey Gluten Free Fam,
2026 promises to be a massive year for coeliac disease research. While great strides have been made over the past 5-10 years in terms of medical science, brand integration and community awareness, there’s still so much more room for improvement and progress.
With rates of diagnosis increasing every year, it’s vital that researchers and experts in the field push for innovation. This will require a collective effort across the board - whether it’s federal, state and local governments to private institutions, corporations and communities on the ground who make all the difference.
There’s often a lot of noise made online about scientific breakthroughs and promises that never materialise, but we’ve examined some of the most important studies out there right now. We’ll be keeping a close eye on how these research projects develop in 2026, and if they do, they have the potential to revolutionise how we diagnose, manage and treat coeliac disease as we know it today.
Interleukin 2
There’s no better place to begin our 2026 research list than with the Interleukin 2 diagnostic breakthrough. As we reported earlier this year, Dr. Jason Tye-Din & Olivia Moscatelli from WEHI (Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research) continue to make exciting progress on this testing mechanism, one that would allow patients to diagnose for coeliac disease without the need to consume gluten.
New clinical research mixes the blood test with gluten inside a test tube, signalling whether the T cells that cause coeliac disease are identified. In simple terms, this would mean the end of the dreaded gluten challenge, not to mention the many months of preparation and costs required for a gastroscopy.
We were fortunate enough to have both specialists on the podcast to talk about the Interleukin 2 test in detail and what it would mean for the people suffering from coeliac disease and related symptoms. Listen to A Gluten Free Podcast with Olivia Moscatelli on Episode 174 and Dr. Jason Tye-Din on Episode 127.
Inverse Vaccine
What if we lived in a world where coeliacs could take a vaccine and become immune from gluten-related symptoms? It might sound too good to be true, at least right now. This is where a potential inverse vaccine could become a game-changer, with The Guardian reporting on the progress of 2025 research that uses synthetic nanoparticles that are designed to retrain the immune system. If successful, it would allow coeliacs to consume gluten without damage.
Northwest University immunologist Stephen Miller has described the vaccine as “the holy grail” to combating autoimmune diseases such as coeliac. The timeline reported suggests that the vaccine could be rolled out within the next 5 years, but we’ll be keeping a very close eye on how this research develops, and what it could mean for everyone.
Amlidelimab
While the term may be hard to understand, there’s no underestimating the value that Amlidelimab could offer. This new monoclonal antibody drug is being studied to target a specific immune pathway involved in non-responsive coeliac disease, aiming to reduce inflammation that drives the cause of coeliac disease.
“This multi-center effort is aimed at identifying patterns in gut bacteria that may one day be able to predict and/or prevent the onset of celiac disease.”
The ongoing phase 2 clinical trial is being tested across sites all around the world, including the United States, Canada, Europe, South America and here in Australia. The trial is aimed at those patients who have been on the gluten-free diet for at least 12-months, but continue to suffer from symptoms and show signs of coeliac disease.
The CDGEMM study
There’s fascinating developments taking place at The Center for Celiac Research and Treatment in Boston. Thanks to the work of Dr. Maureen Leonard and her colleagues, the CDGEMM Study (Celiac Disease Genomic Environmental Microbiome and Metabolomic) is seeking to help us understand how and why coeliac disease is activating in children.
According to the Center, this has the potential to predict and/or prevent the onset of coeliac disease at the earliest stage of life.
Scientists around the globe continue to assess the root causes of coeliac disease and potential treatment options
“The Center is currently recruiting newborns for an exciting research study known as the CDGEMM study. Newborns and infants who have a first-degree relative (father, mother or sibling) with diagnosed celiac disease are eligible to participate. This multi-center effort is aimed at identifying patterns in gut bacteria that may one day be able to predict and/or prevent the onset of celiac disease.”
Listen to Dr. Leonard on Episode 195 of A Gluten Free Podcast as she opens up on the CDGEMM study, and what it could mean for the community in 2026 and beyond.
Italy Screening Policy of 1 to 17-Year Olds
A national screening policy remains a target and ambition for the coeliac community. The more we discover accurate rates of diagnosis, the easier it will be to push towards a healthcare approach that delivers real results for far more people. This is a topic we examined with Dr. Andrew Williams earlier this year.
It’s no longer a hypothetical objective - we have real life case studies available. Italy is one such example. The European nation is passing a law to screen their population for coeliac disease and Type 1 diabetes for all children aged 1-17. By taking a proactive approach to healthcare and testing all children, individuals and families are able to navigating the challenge of the autoimmune disease with clarity and confidence, saving time, money and stress.
We’ll be very interested to see how reports out of Italy emerge in 2026 due to this population-wide screening policy for children.
Mental Health Impacts of Coeliac Disease
There are countless ways coeliac disease impacts the body, but what about the mind? 2026 promises to be a massive year for research and insight into the mental health impacts of the autoimmune disease. According to Beyond Celiac, we already have evidence of psychological issues that are directly associated, ranging from depression and anxiety to social anxieties, eating disorders and irritability.
Mental health is a common theme that we discuss here at A Gluten Free Family, as Ben delved into the topic on Episode 106 of A Gluten Free Podcast with psychologist Juliette Thomson.
Topas Therapeutics (TPM502)
There’s no one-size-fits-all set of established symptoms that underline coeliac disease. Everyone is unique in this regard. The same can be said for scientists and experts in the field when it comes to research and testing.
Here is where another exciting development in Topas Therapeutics (TPM502) may offer a solution moving forward. Thanks to research taking place in Hamburg, Germany, the therapeutic test achieved a gluten-specific tolerance induction and positive safety profile in a Phase 2a trial in coeliac patients. The outcomes of the trial indicated a dose-dependent reduction of symptoms following a gluten challenge.
CMO of Topas Therapeutics Cristina de Min, MD outlined what this could all mean.
“By directly addressing the pathogenic T-cell activation central to celiac disease, TPM502 could redefine the treatment paradigm and provide a much-needed therapeutic option for patients who currently have no approved alternatives to a lifelong gluten-free diet. Indeed, the gluten-free diet does not meet the medical needs of many celiac disease patients… Our Phase 2a trial data also support the application of our nanoparticle platform for a range of autoimmune disease indications for which tolerance induction could be a transformative therapeutic approach.”
Gluten Threshold Study
Dr James Daveson is seeking to address the knowledge gap when it comes to how coeliacs react to gluten and what symptoms it causes courtesy of the Gluten Threshold study at Wesley Research Institute. The study aims to determine if there is a minimum threshold or a ‘safe dose’ for the amount of gluten ingested by coeliac disease patients. The results so far show a requirement for updating food labelling laws among other measures. Once more, we’ll be eager to see how this threshold study progresses into 2026.
A Golden Age in Coeliac Disease Research: Groundbreaking Coeliac Disease Research Developments Worldwide
2026 promises much in the way of scientific research into coeliac disease. Among the studies and trials discussed, there is also a hookworms and parasite study for treatment that still gives hope in the field of novel therapeutics.
Earlier this year for Episode 197 of A Gluten Free Podcast, Ben collated a number of the biggest insights and interviews he had on the show about coeliac disease research across the globe.
From Dr Maureen Leonard to Dr Jason Tye Din and Olivia Moscatelli, the CDGEMM study and more, this is a chance to delve into the detail and find out what is happening in the field, and what we could expect with potential major change in public and private support for the autoimmune disease.
