DIRECTIONS committee

DIetary contaminations - REfractory ComplicaTIons - ONgoing Symptoms

The role of the Committee is to advance the ISSCD’s Objectives in relation to promoting scientific knowledge, education and quality of care of patients with non-responsive celiac disease and ongoing symptoms.

CHAIR: Fabiana Zingone, gastroenterology, Italy

Fabiana Zingone is an Associate Professor at the Department of Surgery, Oncology and Gastroenterology of the University of Padua, Italy. She conducts her research and clinical activity on immune-mediated gastrointestinal disorders, with a particular focus on celiac disease and inflammatory bowel disease. She is the author of more than 150 peer-reviewed publications, mostly on gluten-related disorders. She is also a member of the board of SIGE (Italian Society of Gastroenterology and Digestive Endoscopy) and has published the latest Italian guidelines for celiac disease.

Christophe Cellier, France

Christophe Cellier, gastroenterology, France

Christophe Cellier is the coordinator of the CELAC French network (dedicated to complicated celiac patients RCD, EATL and non-responsive CD) Head of GI and Endoscopy department: European Georges Pompidou Hospital, Paris APHP and the University of Paris Cité, President of the French National Society of Gastroenterology (SNFGE).

Michael Schuman, gastroenterology, Germany

Michael Schumann is a medical doctor and gastroenterologist working at the Charité University Hospital in Berlin as an attending physician in the Department for Gastroenterology, Rheumatology and Infectious Diseases. He is doing research on the intestinal barrier in celiac disease and on treatment-refractory celiac disease (RCD) with a focus on evaluating molecular diagnostics for RCD.

Daniel Leffler, gastroenterology, USA

Daniel Leffler is a gastroenterologist caring for patients with celiac disease and other gastrointestinal disorders and is a founding member of the Celiac Center at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. He is an Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, has received multiple National Institute of Health, foundation and industry sponsored grants and has published over 200 articles in peer reviewed literature. Dr. Leffler joined Takeda Pharmaceuticals in 2016 and is the Global Clinical Lead for Celiac Disease in the Gastrointestinal Therapeutic Area

Govind Bhagat MD, pathology, USA

Govind Bhagat is a Professor of Pathology and Cell Biology and Director of the Division of Hematopathology at Columbia University, Irving Medical Center in New York, USA. His research interests include investigating the link between inflammation and neoplasia, with a focus on characterizing the immune and molecular alterations underlying refractory celiac disease. It is hoped that the research findings will further our understanding of non-responsive and refractory celiac disease and help elucidate novel biomarkers for distinguishing these conditions.

Luca Elli, gastroenterology, Italy

Luca Elli serves as the Chief of the 'Center for Prevention and Diagnosis of Celiac Disease' at Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico in Milan, Italy. Throughout his career, Luca has dedicated himself to the study and treatment of celiac disease, developing a clinical and scientific expertise in the field.

Furthermore, he is an internationally renowned endoscopist, particularly in the specialized domains of small bowel endoscopy utilizing video capsule and double balloon techniques, especially in patients with refractory celiac disease

Nadine Cerf- Bensussan, pathology, France

Nadine Cerf-Bensussan, MD PhD, is a Research Director at Inserm, head of the laboratory of Intestinal Immunity at Institute Imagine and Université Paris Cité, and coordinator of Inserm Transversal Program on Microbiota. Her team has contributed to showing the key role of Segmented Filamentous Bacteria in the post-natal maturation of the gut immune barrier. Studies in celiac disease have established how autoimmune-like inflammation driven by dietary gluten can ultimately lead to lymphomagenesis developing from gut intraepithelial lymphocytes carrying gain of function JAK1 or STAT3 mutations. Recent work in monogenic intestinal disorders aims at hierarchizing the mechanisms indispensable for human gut homeostasis and translating results into improved care of these rare diseases but also better understanding of frequent polyfactorial intestinal inflammatory diseases. She was awarded an ERC Advanced grant in 2013, the Distinguished Scientific Achievement Award from the Society for Mucosal Immunology in 2017, the Maki Celiac Tampere Prize in 2018 and the Grand Prix Inserm in 2023.