Babies Could Hold the Key to Personalized Prevention of Celiac Disease

The CDGEMM Study enrolls infants who have a parent or sibling diagnosed with CD. The risk of developing CD for these infants is increased by 8-25% over that of the general population. Enrolled children are followed from birth until they reach five years of age, including periodic monitoring for signs of CD. A main aim of the study is to track the development of the gut microbiome by collecting the child’s stool samples and watching how the microbial communities evolve over time. We hope to identify a distinct microbial pattern that will allow us to predict who will develop CD before it happens so that we can learn how to prevent it. Since the kick-off of CDGEMM, we have enrolled 90 children in 24 of the 50 United States; enrolled 75 children in Italy; and collected 400 poop samples.

Several online bloggers and websites recently helped spread the word about CDGEMM through postings on their social media accounts. Gluten Free Living published an article on their website and Facebook page, while one of our very own GEMM families generously agreed to be featured in an article published by Beyond Celiac, outlining their first-hand perspective of what participating in the study entails.

We are still recruiting precious GEMMs for the CDGEMM Study! Children aged 6 months or younger who have a parent or sibling diagnosed with celiac disease are eligible to participate. Be sure to visit our website (www.CDGEMM.org) for more information about the study.