Roberta Rotondo International Celiac Disease Symposium 2026

Roberta Rotondo

I am a pediatric resident and PhD candidate at the Department of Translational Medical Sciences, Section of Pediatrics, University of Naples Federico II. During my training, I have developed both clinical and scientific expertise in pediatric gastroenterology, with a particular focus on food-related disorders, especially celiac disease. My interest in research began during medical school and culminated in a thesis on the early identification of immune alterations in children at risk of celiac disease, which was subsequently published in an international journal. Currently, my research focuses on the study of intestinal epithelium through the use of organoids derived from duodenal biopsies of patients with inflammatory conditions. My PhD project, which I coordinate, is a multicenter study involving 10 Italian centers and promoted by the Italian Society of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (SIGENP). This research investigates intestinal biopsies and organoids obtained from patients with Down Syndrome, a population at increased risk of developing celiac disease and characterized by a wide spectrum of intestinal alterations, ranging from mucosal inflammation to villous atrophy, both in the presence and absence of autoimmunity. Preliminary data are promising and provide new insights into the mechanisms underlying villous atrophy beyond the classical models of celiac disease. I am also involved in additional research projects, the results of which are currently under publication and have already been presented at national and international conferences. I am a member of the SIGENP Food-Related Diseases Working Group and serve on the "Environment and Child Health" Committee of the Italian Society of Pediatrics.