Orgentec Diagnostika has launched three diagnostic tests for diagnosing celiac disease, completing the company's product portfolio for accurate diagnosis of gastrointestinal disorders.
Celiac disease is an (auto)immunologically mediated intestinal intolerance to proteins (gluten) from wheat and other cereals in genetically predisposed children and adults.
Serological diagnosis of celiac disease is based on determination of auto-antibodies against tissue transglutaminase (anti-tTG antibodies, anti-tTG) and antibodies directed against native gliadin (anti-gliadin antibodies, AGA), a component of gluten.
Whereas serum auto-antibodies to tissue transglutaminase are highly specific markers for celiac disease, antibodies to gliadin have lost in importance for diagnosis.
However, they are still used for monitoring of adherence to the gluten-free diet, which is until now the only cure for the disease.
Native gliadin is a mixture of several proteins with varying immunogenic potential.
Recently, several gliadin epitopes have been identified that are capable of inducing a strong immune response.
These epitopes are generated via deamidation of gliadin by the enzymatic tissue transglutaminase.
The use of these deamidated gliadin proteins in the Orgentec Anti-DGP assays has improved the usefulness of gliadin antibodies for diagnosis of celiac disease.
