A new study out of Australia is testing a groundbreaking method to diagnose celiac disease—without requiring patients to consume gluten.

While I don’t have access to the full study, summaries are circulating widely. You can view the abstract here: Blood-based T Cell Diagnosis of Celiac Disease – Gastroenterology.

The test is a blood-based assay. Researchers mix the patient’s blood with gluten and then measure a specific immune marker. If the immune system reacts, it indicates the presence of celiac disease. The test has shown 90% sensitivity and 95% specificity, meaning it correctly identifies most people with celiac disease and rarely gives false positives.

It’s particularly accurate in individuals who carry the HLA-DQ2.5 gene variant and somewhat less accurate in those with HLA-DQ8.

The test was developed by Novoviah, a company led by the scientists behind the Nexvax2 trial—a project I personally participated in. It feels meaningful to have played a small part in research that may lead to better testing options for our community.

Science is rarely a straight path. You never know where innovation will arise, but I’m hopeful this marks a major step forward in diagnosing celiac disease more easily and accurately.