Open call for papers on research and innovations concerning coeliac disease

AOECS is now calling for scientific papers on recent research on coeliac disease as well as papers about other interesting projects concerning the disease. National Coeliac Societies are called upon to provide local research, discoveries or interesting projects in this field.

The call is also open for independent research groups who have conducted research or made innovations related to coeliac disease which they want to share. You can submit abstracts of your work through an online portal on the AOECS website until September 22, 2023.

The abstracts will be examined by an external evaluation committee which will make sure there is a solid scientific foundation for the research articles. Another evaluation will be made for other types of projects. Note that you will need a letter of recommendation from at least one National Coeliac Society to be able to submit your paper.

Papers will be presented at the 35th General Assembly Conference

The admitted papers will be displayed at the 35th AOECS General Assembly Conference in Athens on November 2-5, 2023. At the General Assembly experts on coeliac disease and representatives from National Coeliac Societies from the whole world meet to discuss coeliac disease.

AOECS as a knowledge hub

The underlying idea of this call is to start using the General Assembly Conference as a meeting point where research, experiences and learnings from others can be collected and shared. This will make it easier to get an overview of what is going on in the research field and other projects around coeliac disease on an international stage.

AOECS also wants to facilitate scientists and others to take part in the research around coeliac disease and start dialogues between the experts in this field. Hopefully, this lead to synergies to spur interest in new and continued research on coeliac disease and related issues.

AOECS started the call for papers already last year and presented the results at the 34 General Assembly in Lisbon. You can download the results as a booklet here.

Eligible paper topics examples

• Original research.
• Literature review/meta-analysis.
• Clinical case report.
• Demographic or observational study.
• Project from the National Coeliac Society or their contribution in research.
• Non-profit organisation managing initiative.
• Social research from National Coeliac Societies regarding their local activity.

Coeliac disease is an autoimmune disease which affects around 2 persons in 100 in the world. Around 75% of affected people are unaware of them suffering from this condition. For those with the condition, it mistakenly triggers the immune system to produce antibodies attacking the small intestine when gluten is eaten. Gluten is found in 3 types of cereal; wheat, barley and rye; and any products using those cereals, like bread, pasta, cakes, biscuits and sauces. This adverse reaction to gluten damages the micro villi lining the small intestine, disrupting the body’s ability to take in nutrients from food. If coeliac disease remains undiagnosed, micro villi can die off and vital nutrients can no longer be absorbed. This can result in symptoms ranging from minor discomfort to life-threatening conditions like severe anaemia.