? The NIH Consensus Development Conference on Celiac disease (June, 2004) concluded that celiac disease occurs in about 1% of the United States population, though by far the majority are undiagnosed. Celiac disease is a unique autoimmune disease due to a genetically determined immune intolerance to gluten, the term for the storage proteins of wheat and similar grains. The only current treatment is a gluten-free diet. The Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University in New York will host the XII International Symposium on Celiac Disease in November 2006. This biannual event is the forum in which clinicians and investigators from around the globe meet to present current research and exchange knowledge about this disease. There is no Society to fund this event. The individual organizers in each country obtain funding. The recent NIH Consensus Conference, combined with an increase in scientific and clinical interest in celiac disease and an interest in the development on non-dietary therapies makes this Symposium an important event for the medical, scientific and pharmaceutical industry in the United States, occurring at a crucial time. In addition there is a great increase in interest in the diagnosis and management of celiac disease in both the developed and the developing world. We have organized an International Symposium involving the leaders in the field from around the world. In addition there will be a Clinical Forum designed for patients, nutritionists, physician assistants, nurse practitioners and physicians. We anticipate a large turnout for this meeting. ? In this grant application we present the program, rationale for the meeting and the expected outcomes of this International Symposium. Funding is crucial for the success of this meeting that will reshape the future of celiac disease both in this country and around the world. ? ? ?
