Future directions

Abstract

Over the past few decades, we have witnessed a dramatic rise of chronic inflammatory diseases, including celiac disease that represents a unique model in which a specific genetic signature (HLA DQ2/DQ8), a strong biomarker of the onset of the inflammatory process (antitissue transglutaminase antibodies), and the instigating factor (gluten) are known. This chapter will provide the state-of-the-art of current knowledge and future development related to highly integrated studies and multiomic analysis on human genetics, microbiome, immune functions, and environmental factors known to be involved in celiac disease pathogenesis with the goal to understand the mechanisms involved in the switch from genetic predisposition to clinical outcome. Finally, the chapter will outline how the use of novel technologies coupled with robust metadata and artificial intelligence analysis may lead to a radical paradigm shift of the future of human health by allowing personalized interventions (precision medicine) and, even more impactful and exciting, the possibility of primary prevention.