A new vaccine that could be the world's first 'cure' for coeliac disease is being trialled in New Zealand.
Clinical trials are under way in Christchurch to test the revolutionary jab that stops the body reacting to one of the main ingredients in bread.
Coeliac sufferers - about one in every 100 Kiwis - can't eat anything that contains gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley and rye.
It's even found in everyday products like pasta, biscuits, beer and sausages.
There is no treatment for coeliac disease and sufferers are at increased risk of osteoporosis, infertility and bowel cancer if they do not stick to a gluten-free diet.
But the experimental US drug, which has already gone through one clinical trial, could allow gluten-intolerant people to enjoy a normal diet.
Coeliac New Zealand backs the research which "gives hope" to people whose only alternative is eating on a strict gluten-free diet for life.
"It would change lives," said development manager Sue Clay.
"We're very much keeping our members in the loop. It's a very credible, well-funded study that looks promising but I stress it is only early days and there is a long way to go yet."
The NexVax2 trials are being conducted on behalf of private US biotechnology company ImmusanT [EDS: Crrct] by Christchurch Clinical Studies Trust.
Around 30 patients will take part in the randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase1b clinical trial.
Similar testing is also being done in Australia.
Christchurch coeliac sufferer Shelley Robinson, 31, welcomed the research but was unsure whether she would take the jab herself.
"In terms of cost, it would be a godsend to be able to buy bread for $3 instead of $8, to buy a packet of biscuits for $2 instead of $6.
"But you just get used to it. I've been diagnosed since age 18 so to be honest I don't think I would take an injection. It's a relatively healthy diet, lots of fresh vegies and fruit, good meats.
"I don't miss takeout food like McDonald's, which is what everyone asks me when they find out I'm coeliac."
Laboratory tests show the vaccine helps the immune system eventually tolerate gluten.
It 'reprogrammes' the body's immune system so that the gluten does not attack the stomach lining.
Over a course of vaccines under controlled medical conditions, the amount of protein introduced into the body is gradually increased.
If successful, it will restore coeliac patients' immune tolerance to gluten, reduce inflammation in the nutrient-absorbing villi that lines the small intestine, return the intestine to a healthy state, and allow patients to eat a normal diet.
Patrick H. Griffin, chief medical officer of ImmusanT, said he hopes the New Zealand clinical programme will demonstrate that the jab "dramatically reduces" the body's immune response to dietary gluten so patients can resume a normal diet and return to good health.
