Beyond Celiac Investments Surpasses First Year Fundraising Goal and First Investments in Celiac Disease Therapeutics

Through its Catalyst Program, Beyond Celiac Investments (BCI) will fund pre-clinical autoimmune disease treatments to accelerate a cure for celiac disease.

PHILADELPHIA, PA, UNITED STATES, October 17, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Beyond Celiac Investments (BCI), the investment philanthropy program of Beyond Celiac, has surpassed its first-year fundraising goal and is moving forward with its first investments in companies developing potential treatments for celiac disease. Through its Catalyst Program, BCI will support up to three pre-clinical programs that show strong potential to advance into clinical trials and ultimately help deliver the first treatments and a cure for celiac disease.

In its first year, BCI exceeded fundraising goals to fuel early-stage innovation in autoimmune therapeutics. The Catalyst Program evaluated nearly 20 pre-clinical initiatives and selected three that represent distinct scientific approaches to targeting the immune response to gluten—without broadly suppressing immune function—and designed as one-time, noninvasive treatments.

“Many promising autoimmune programs struggle to reach patients because of today’s challenging investment environment,” said Eric White, CAIA, Director, Investments & Strategic Alliances, Beyond Celiac. “We identified programs with cutting-edge science and strong potential that had stalled in pre-clinical development and designed our investments to bridge that funding gap and accelerate progress toward patient testing.”

The Catalyst Program follows a proven accelerator model, offering a streamlined application process, rapid decision-making, and a simplified investment structure that enables faster development timelines.

“We launched BCI because no venture funds were dedicated exclusively to celiac disease,” said Alice Bast, CEO of Beyond Celiac. “Celiac disease provides a powerful window into autoimmune biology, with a known environmental trigger—gluten—and a well-defined genetic link. The insights we gain could inform treatments across many autoimmune conditions. Surpassing our first-year goal and selecting our initial portfolio companies bring us one step closer to a cure.”

Final investment details and partner company names will be announced as negotiations are completed.

Beyond Celiac is driving the search for a cure by 2030 so that the 3.2 million people in the United States diagnosed and undiagnosed with the disease can live healthy lives and eat without fear of gluten exposure. Through BCI, the organization is using investment philanthropy to fund high-potential science and provide hands-on guidance to innovators developing next-generation treatments.

The BCI team includes Alice Bast, CEO; Jordan Dubow, M.D., Chief Medical Officer; Debra Silberg, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer; and Eric White, CAIA, Director, Investments & Strategic Alliances. 

Inquiries about investing should be directed to investments@beyondceliac.org.

About Beyond Celiac Investments

Beyond Celiac Investments (BCI) is the investment philanthropy program of Beyond Celiac, created to accelerate the development of treatments and a cure for celiac disease. Through its Catalyst Program, BCI identifies and funds pre-clinical programs addressing the core biology of autoimmune response, providing early, flexible investment and expert guidance to speed innovation to patients.

About Beyond Celiac

Founded in 2003, Beyond Celiac is the leading science-based catalyst for a celiac disease cure in the United States, serving as a patient advocacy and research-driven organization working to drive diagnosis and accelerate the discovery of new treatments. By engaging with the top scientists in the field, making the right investments in research, supporting the broad community of those with celiac disease and gluten sensitivity, and investing in the most promising treatments, Beyond Celiac envisions a world in which people can live healthy lives and eat without fear – a world Beyond Celiac. BeyondCeliac.org

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Angela Crist
Beyond Celiac
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