b'Researchers and collaborators stand in a UC Davis wheat field during summer evaluations of experimental lines that contain reduced levels of reactive gluten proteins. L-R: Wenjun Zhang (UC Davis), Marilyn Geller (Celiac Disease Foundation), Jorge Dubcovsky (UC Davis) and Maria Rottersman (UC Davis). PHOTO: MARIA ROTTERSMANThe new varieties are not GMOs. The UClives with celiac disease, and Rottersman notes that Davis team, led by Jorge Dubrovsky, produced30 to 40% have genes that make them more likely the deleted-gene varieties through traditionalto develop it later in life.breeding. After generating seed and testing"Having some varieties that have a lower flour and dough performance at the Californiaamount of these proteins that trigger the disease Wheat Commission\'s quality lab, they depositedmeans that we\'re delaying the onset for those who the validated lines into the U.S. Department ofdon\'t know they\'re at risk," she says. Agriculture\'s Germplasm Resources InformationCreating safer wheat also requires partners Network so breeders can access them.who see the bigger picture. Funding for the But for Rottersman, turning lab data into some- research came from the Celiac Disease Foundation, thing tangiblefresh-baked bread made from theUSDA\'s National Institute of Food and Agriculture, edited wheatwas a special moment.the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the "I spend so much time looking at geneFoundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR).sequences or working with DNA I can\'t see, butMarilyn Geller, chief executive officer of the having something physical in my handssome- Celiac Disease Foundation, stresses that the dis-thing you can bake, eat, touch and seewasease is not a lifestyle choice, but a medically neces-extremely rewarding." sary diet. With gluten present in 80% of our food supply and no therapeutic drug currently available Funding the Space Between Food andto treat celiac disease, Geller says patients must Health navigate a world where every bite carries risk. The edited wheat isn\'t celiac-safe, but the study\'s"A safer wheat would be transformative for the findings are an essential first step.celiac community," she says. "Imagine being able Approximately 1% of the American populationto go to a restaurant and not worry about cross-36/ SEEDWORLD.COMJANUARY 2026'