Celiac treatment on the horizon

By
Appears in the June 2021 issue.

A local microbiologist-immunologist recently won an innovation award for his nanoparticle work at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. Professor Stephen Miller’s findings concluded that immune tolerance to gluten can be induced in people with celiac disease—a serious autoimmune disorder. The biodegradable nanoparticle he developed, CNP-101, “teaches” the immune system that gluten is safe by hiding the allergen in a friendly shell to convince the body not to attack it.

Illustration by Kevin Sterjo