TURIN, Italy, March 28 (UPI) -- Italian researchers say they have developed a quick and cheap test to diagnose gluten intolerance, or celiac disease, and a pill that may block it.
Lead researcher Alessio Fasano of the University of Naples said the new test will cost about $85 vs. the $360 average for current tests to diagnose intolerance to the protein found in a variety of grains, some alcohol and cured meats.
Fasano also told Italian news agency ANSA that the new test gives results in 2.5 hours vs. two days for traditional celiac disease tests.
The new test is to be patented and distributed by private European companies Diagene and Bionat.
In a related effort, Fasano told a Turin, Italy, meeting of the Italian Celiac Association of promising results of U.S. tests on a pill to block overproduction of the intestinal protein zonulin, which Fasano blamed for celiac symptoms.
He said the pill would undergo major tests in Italy and the United States in the next year.
