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Celiac Sprue Research Foundation
- By Scott Adams
- Published 07/26/1996
- United States of America: Celiac Disease Support Groups and Organizations
- Unrated
Scott Adams
In 1994 I was diagnosed with celiac disease, which led me to create Celiac.com in 1995. I created this site for a single purpose: To help as many people as possible with celiac disease get diagnosed and living happy, healthy gluten-free lives. Celiac.com was the first site on the Internet dedicated solely to celiac disease, and since then it has become an invaluable resource to people worldwide who seek information about celiac disease and the gluten-free diet.
In 1998 I created The Gluten-Free Mall, Your Special Diet Superstore! which was also another Internet first—it was the first gluten-free food site to offer a shopping cart-style interface, and the ability for people to order gluten-free products manufactured by many different companies at a single Web site.
Celiac Sprue Research Foundation
The Celiac Sprue Research Foundation is a science-driven public charity that seeks to improve the quality of life of Celiac Sprue patients by promoting research and development, and by enhancing awareness of the disease among scientists, healthcare professionals, consumer product manufacturers and the general public. Its primary goal is to translate emerging knowledge about Celiac Sprue pathogenesis into a comprehensive plan for developing a therapeutic alternative to a gluten-free diet. Once the Foundations initial drug development strategy has been launched, it will use available resources to promote basic research that might lead to fundamentally new insights into the disease, and to improve technologies for detecting new patients of this seriously under-diagnosed disease.
CSRF is a public charity that relies upon donations from individuals to support its activities. As an Internal Revenue Code Section 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, donations are tax deductible to the extent permitted by law. Donations may be sent to:
Celiac Sprue Research Foundation
P.O. Box 61193
Palo Alto, CA 94306-1193
Tel/Fax: (650) 251-9865
http://www.celiacsprue.org
2/28/2003 Update on the Celiac Sprue Research Foundation
The Celiac Sprue Research Foundation (CSRF) has opened its research laboratory in Sunnyvale, CA. Research Associates Qing Li and Thomas Marti have begun research under the direction of CSRF Scientific Director Gary M. Gray, M.D. The current research is intended to lay the groundwork for the initiation of a proof of principle trial of an enzyme therapy for the treatment of Celiac Sprue during 2003.
Recently Drs. Li and Marti and CSRF founder Chaitan Khosla installed two fermenters at the laboratory, on loan from Kosan Biosciences Inc., a biotechnology company based in Hayward, CA. These fermenters will enable CSRF to produce enzymes for research using advanced recombinant biotechnology methods to grow special bacteria that will produce selected enzymes. The bacteria are grown in a water-based environment that requires careful control of such variables as temperature, oxygen level, and nutrients. Drs. Li, Marti and Khosla worked long into the night setting up and calibrating pumps, instruments, air and water supplies, and an automatic control system. Actual fermentation will be underway by early March.
Dr. Li received her Ph.D. in Biophysical Chemistry from Stanford in 2002. She has authored papers in protein chemistry and structural biology. Dr. Marti received his Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from the Swiss Technical Institute (ETH) in Zurich, and performed postdoctoral research at Stanford during 1998-2000. From 2000-2002 he worked in the Zurich offices of McKinsey & Co.
CSRF is recruiting additional scientists with strong backgrounds in the life sciences. Of particular interest are outstanding immunologists, cell biologists, molecular biologists and chemists, who are interested in a career opportunity at the interface between academia and industry that will allow them to gain a unique perspective on preclinical and clinical aspects of drug development.
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