29 Jan 2019 --- Modern biotechnology can be used to entirely remove gluten from the wheat genome or target and remove “toxic” epitopes from the gluten protein. This means that the gluten retains its unique baking characteristics, but does not trigger an autoimmune response in celiacs, according to University of Wageningen researchers. Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder, whereby the consumption of gluten triggers an immune system response in the the gut. The only intervention currently available is a strict, lifelong gluten-free diet, which can be challenging to follow. However, the use of gene editing tool CRISPR/Cas9 could present future opportunities, say the researchers.
