Mobile menu
Alice Bast & the Seeding of Beyond Celiac
Beyond Celiac was founded in 2003 as the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness (NFCA). Founder and President Alice Bast envisioned a world where people with celiac disease could be quickly diagnosed, eat safely and live their lives to the fullest. Today, Alice leads Beyond Celiac in a direction no other patient advocacy group is heading: down a pathway to a cure.

Explore this section:

What Beyond Celiac is Doing
Beyond Celiac puts people living with celiac disease at the core of all its work. The organization uses a patient-centered approach that is grounded in science, promotes collaboration and supports a well-rounded approach to health and wellness.

Explore this section:

Beyond Celiac uses a variety of approaches to achieve its mission:
Key Achievements: Laying New Ground since 2003
Beyond Celiac collaborates closely with researchers and engages with the community to identify areas where people still need help to live better, healthier lives with celiac disease. We aim our initiatives where we can have the most impact on families affected by the serious genetic autoimmune condition.

Explore this section:

Beyond Celiac identifies common problems and implements solutions that work for problems like:
  • Delayed Diagnosis
  • Food Safety Concerns
  • Gluten in Medications
Read more about the challenges we tackle each day.
Our Media, Industry and Government Advocacy Work
Until Beyond Celiac was formed in 2003 (then known as the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness), no celiac disease organization was actively driving diagnosis or working with the media to spread broad awareness. Seeing that the community already had support group options, Alice Bast decided to tackle advocacy and awareness issues to help people get diagnosed faster and have access to safe and affordable gluten-free food.

Explore this section:

Celiac Disease in the News
  • The Celiac Disease Paradox (05/10/2019)
    The celiac disease community is caught between being empowered to take control of our well-being while struggling to do so because our only treatment – the gluten-free diet – is burdensome and unreliable
  • The Gluten in Medicine Disclosure Act of 2019 (04/22/2019)
    On April 3, 2019, Representative Tim Ryan [D-OH] introduced H.R. 2074, the Gluten in Medicine Disclosure Act of 2019 to the congressional floor. If passed, the bill would amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require gluten be labeled in all medications.
View All
Research News
  • Celiac disease explored in depth at DDW (05/20/2019)
    Celiac Disease is being explored in depth in San Diego at Digestive Disease Week (DDW), the largest international gathering of physicians, researchers and academics in the fields of gastroenterology, hepatology, endoscopy and gastrointestinal surgery.
View All Research News & Articles
Answers from a Dietitian®
  • Ongoing Symptoms (05/22/2018)
    How to tell if ongoing symptoms are from celiac disease
  • Why Monitor (05/22/2018)
    What’s the point of follow-up testing and monitoring?
View All Answers from a Dietitian®
Drug Development News
View All Drug Development News
Celiac Disease Research News
The world of celiac disease research changes and evolves each and every day. Beyond Celiac keeps the community up-to-date on research in many ways, including our Research News Feed and the Research Opt-In. Sign Up to Receive Research News
Treatment Options in the Pipeline

Current Treatments are Limited

Currently, the gluten-free diet is the only treatment for celiac disease. However, researchers are working hard to find alternative therapies and possibly even a cure.

Drug Development

A potential celiac disease vaccine is moving closer to reality. Whenever new information is available we update our Research News feed and our Celiac Disease Vaccine page. Additional resources:

Clinical Trials

Researchers around the world are working to develop new treatments for celiac disease. As a person affected by celiac disease, you can play an important role in advancing research by participating in clinical trials. View our Clinical Trials Infographic to learn how clinical trials tie into to drug development process.

Think you may have celiac disease?

Symptoms Checklist
OUR PARTNERS