GSS Committee

Associate Professor Jason Tye-Din is an adult gastroenterologist who heads the Coeliac Research Lab in the Immunology Division of the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, Melbourne, Australia. His research focuses on examining the basis for gluten immunity to improve the diagnosis, treatment and management of people with celiac disease. In addition to research he runs a dedicated celiac disease clinic at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and chairs the Medical Advisory Committee of Coeliac Australia, working closely with them to promote evidence based practice and medical and public awareness of celiac disease.

Prof Katharina Scherf leads a team at the TUM School of Life Sciences, Germany. Prof. Scherf’s main research interests are the protein composition of food crops as well as wheat related disorders including celiac disease and wheat allergy. Together with her team, her mission is to develop new analytical strategies to study the complex interplay between structure, functionality, immunological and chemosensory activity of food proteins and peptides. The fundamental insights help to improve food security, food quality and food safety.

She leads the research group Food Biopolymer Chemistry at the Leibniz Institute for Food Systems Biology at the TUM and also holds the Professorship of Food Biopolymer Systems at the TUM.

Carlo Catassi, MD, is professor of pediatrics at the Polytechnic University of Marche, Ancona, Italy and adjunct faculty at the Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA. He is past president of the Italian Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition (SIGENP) and scientific consultant for the Instituto Superiore di Sanità in Rome, Italy, for the D1Ce pilot study on pediatric screening for celiac disease and type 1 diabetes. His primary research interests are celiac disease and other gluten related disorders, particularly the worldwide epidemiology, the clinical spectrum, pediatric screening and safe threshold of gluten intake.

Alex Costigliola, MSc, is an accomplished scientific and regulatory affairs professional with a background in dietetics, bringing nearly two decades of expertise within the food industry. During her career, defined by a blend of technical expertise and strategic advocacy, she has consistently provided critical insights to support the review of relevant legislation and guidance. As the Head of Food Regulations and Networks at Coeliac UK, Alex champions the interests of individuals with celiac disease, striving to ensure their needs are accounted for in regulations at both national and international level. In addition to her policy work, she supports the UK Gluten Free Accreditation scheme within the hospitality sector, helping to raise standards and ensure a safe dining experience for celiac consumers.

Penny Dellsperger is an Australian Accredited Practising Dietitian, recognised as a leading voice in the field of coeliac disease. With nearly 20 years of dedicated experience in the area, she previously led Coeliac Australia’s policy, advocacy, research, and knowledge translation efforts. Now operating as an independent consultant, she continues to be a passionate advocate for individuals with celiac disease. Her lived experience with the condition fuels her commitment to empower those living with coeliac disease through expert, evidence based and consumer focused policy.

Daniel Leffler, MD, MS, AGAF 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 where he served as the global clinical lead for celiac disease before moving into his current role as Executive Medical Director and Celiac Disease Global Program Lead at Chugai Pharmaceuticals.

Jennifer is an analytical chemist and entrepreneur. She has more than 30 years of experience in government and industry-based R&D, traversing pharmaceutical, food and environmental sciences. She is a pioneering mass spectrometrist focused on allergenic protein marker discovery and analysis. She received her honors BSc in Chemistry from McMaster University, Canada and her MSc and PhD in analytical chemistry at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Most recently she served as SVP for R&D for Entero Therapeutics. Previously, she co-founded and served as Chief Scientific Officer for ImmunogenX and co-founded and served as Senior Director for R&D for LCMS Limited in North Carolina, an independent analytical laboratory.

Jennifer was diagnosed with celiac disease in 2002. Since her diagnosis, she has dedicated both her professional and personal lives to bettering the lives of those who suffer from food related diseases.

Ludvig Sollid is a Professor at the University of Oslo and a senior consultant at the Oslo University Hospital – Rikshospitalet. Also director of the KG Jebsen Coeliac Disease Research Centre, Norway. Professor Sollid’s research interests are focused around genetics and immunology of autoimmune diseases in general and celiac disease in particular. His group has made important contributions to the understanding of the molecular basis of celiac disease, in particular the role of HLA genes, the existence of gluten reactive (HLA-DQ restricted) T cells in the celiac intestinal lesion, the identification of immunotoxic gluten peptide sequences and the involvement of the transglutaminase 2 in the pathogenesis of the disease. His group is currently working on the characterization of the antigen receptors of T cells and B cells that recognize the celiac disease relevant antigens gluten and transglutaminase 2.

Markus Lacorn is a Research & Development department Head Deputy, overseeing all internal and external validation studies on R-Biopharm products from the food & feed area. His interdisciplinary team works collaboratively to validate products prior to launch.

He also works for and within various approval bodies such as AOAC and ICC to achieve external certifications for R-Biopharm products and represents the perspective of method developers within key groups such as AOAC, ICC, Eurachem, OIV, ISO, CEN, DIN, and Codex Alimentarius. For nearly two decades, Markus has belonged to an international network on allergen and gluten analysis which seeks to improve the quality of life of patients.

Floris van Overveld, MSc, is the CEO of the Dutch Coeliac Society and Chair of the Association of European Coeliac Societies (AOECS). He is an experienced executive in the realm of civil society organisations. Floris has been one of the driving forces in a coalition that convinced the Dutch authorities to design and implement regulations for precautionary allergen labelling. He is the AOECS representative in the Codex Committee for Food Labelling. Floris has a background in medicinal chemistry.