A New Clinical Trial Needs Adults Who Still Have Symptoms on a Gluten-Free Diet

If you’re an adult with celiac disease who still experiences symptoms despite following a gluten-free diet, researchers want to hear from you. The DAISY Study is actively recruiting participants to test an investigational medication, and they’re covering travel expenses to make participation accessible.

This matters because so many of us know the frustration: you’re doing everything right—reading every label, asking every question at restaurants, maintaining a strict gluten-free kitchen—and you still don’t feel well. For some people with celiac disease, the gluten-free diet alone isn’t enough to fully resolve symptoms or heal intestinal damage. That’s exactly the population this study wants to reach.

What the DAISY Study Is Looking For

The Celiac Disease Foundation announced that the DAISY Study is currently enrolling participants who meet specific criteria:

• Age 18–75 years old
• Confirmed celiac disease diagnosis with intestinal damage
• Still experiencing symptoms despite following a gluten-free diet for at least one year

That last point is significant. This isn’t a study for people newly diagnosed or those who haven’t yet committed to dietary management. Researchers are specifically looking for people who have been doing the work—the meal planning, the label reading, the constant vigilance—and are still struggling with symptoms.

What Participants May Receive

According to the Celiac Disease Foundation, study participants may receive:

• Study-required investigational medication at no cost
• Study-related care at no cost
• Reimbursement for study-related travel expenses

That travel compensation piece is worth highlighting. Clinical trials have historically been difficult for people to access, particularly those who don’t live near major research centers. By offering travel reimbursement, this study is removing one of the most common barriers to participation.

The announcement also notes that health insurance is not required to participate. This opens the door for uninsured or underinsured individuals who might otherwise assume clinical trials aren’t an option for them.

Why This Matters for the Celiac Community

As a parent navigating celiac disease with my son, I spend a lot of time thinking about what his future looks like. Right now, the only FDA-approved treatment for celiac disease is a strict gluten-free diet. There are no medications to help when accidental exposure happens, no pills to support healing for those whose intestines aren’t responding to dietary changes alone, no safety net for the inevitable moment when cross-contact occurs despite our best efforts.

Every clinical trial that moves forward brings us closer to changing that reality.

The DAISY Study is testing an investigational medication—meaning it hasn’t been approved yet and researchers are gathering data on whether it works and how safe it is. We don’t know from the recruitment announcement what specific medication is being tested or what mechanism it uses. But we do know that multiple approaches are currently being studied across the celiac research landscape, including enzyme therapies, immune modulators, and tight junction regulators.

What’s important here isn’t the specifics of this one medication. It’s that research is actively happening, and it needs participants to move forward.

The Participation Gap in Celiac Research

Clinical trials can only succeed if enough people enroll. This sounds obvious, but it’s a real challenge. Studies get delayed or even cancelled when they can’t recruit enough participants. And celiac disease research faces some unique hurdles:

Geographic barriers: Not everyone lives near a research center, and taking time off work to travel for study visits isn’t feasible for many people. Travel compensation helps, but it doesn’t solve everything.

Diet compliance requirements: Many celiac studies require participants to already be on a gluten-free diet, which is appropriate for the research questions being asked but does narrow the eligible population.

Skepticism about pharmaceutical approaches: Some in the celiac community are wary of medications, preferring to manage through diet alone. That’s a valid personal choice, but it can make recruitment harder for studies testing drug therapies.

Lack of awareness: Many people with celiac disease simply don’t know clinical trials exist or how to find them.

If you’ve been following a gluten-free diet for years and still don’t feel well, participating in a study like DAISY could potentially help you access experimental care while contributing to research that might help everyone with celiac disease down the road.

Questions to Consider Before Enrolling

Clinical trial participation is a personal decision that deserves careful thought. If you’re considering the DAISY Study, here are some things to discuss with your healthcare provider:

What does participation actually involve? The recruitment announcement doesn’t specify how many visits are required, how long the study lasts, or what procedures are involved. These details matter for determining whether the study fits your life.

What are the potential risks? All investigational medications carry unknowns. That’s why they’re being studied. Your healthcare team can help you weigh potential risks against potential benefits.

How will this affect your current care? Understanding how study participation interacts with your existing treatment plan and healthcare relationships is important.

What happens after the study ends? If the medication helps you, will you have continued access? What’s the plan for monitoring your health after participation concludes?

These aren’t reasons to avoid participating—they’re just the kinds of questions that deserve answers before you commit.

How to Learn More

The Celiac Disease Foundation’s announcement directs interested individuals to find out if the DAISY Study is right for them. If you meet the eligibility criteria—an adult between 18 and 75 with diagnosed celiac disease, intestinal damage confirmed, and ongoing symptoms despite at least a year on a gluten-free diet—this might be worth exploring.

The Celiac Disease Foundation also maintains the iCureCeliac Patient Registry, which connects people with celiac disease to research opportunities. Signing up for the registry is another way to stay informed about studies you might qualify for, even if the DAISY Study isn’t the right fit.

Looking Forward

I think about the day when my son might have more options than just the gluten-free diet. Maybe that’s a medication he could take before eating at a friend’s house. Maybe it’s a therapy that helps his intestines heal faster after accidental exposure. Maybe it’s something we haven’t even imagined yet.

None of those possibilities become reality without research. And research doesn’t happen without participants.

If you’re an adult with celiac disease who’s still symptomatic despite strict dietary management, the DAISY Study is specifically looking for people like you. The travel compensation and no-insurance-required approach suggest researchers are serious about making participation accessible.

Talk to your healthcare provider. Ask questions. And consider whether contributing to celiac research might be right for you.

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References

• Celiac Disease Foundation. (2026, March 19). DAISY Study Recruiting Now. Travel Compensation Included. https://celiac.org/2026/03/19/daisy-study-recruiting-now-travel-compensation-included/

• Celiac Disease Foundation. Join the iCureCeliac Patient Registry. https://celiac.org/advancing-research/patient-registry/