A new standard in wheat immune reactivity testing that adds seven new wheat markers to assess immune responses to baked, fermented and cooked wheat products
PHOENIX, AZ, UNITED STATES, January 27, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Cyrex Laboratories, a clinical laboratory specializing in functional immunology and autoimmunity, today announced WheatBurden™, a first-of-its-kind test panel designed to detect immune reactivity to denatured, heat-processed wheat proteins found in real foods that people actually eat. WheatBurden™ evaluates the total immune burden of wheat and gluten, by measuring antibody responses to wheat in its cooked, raw, and peptide forms. This panel reflects how food processing of wheat may alter its immune recognition.
Millions of people report symptoms after eating bread, pasta, or tortillas, yet most existing tests examine only raw wheat proteins or select gluten peptides. WheatBurden™ addresses this critical gap by assessing immune responses to heat-processed, fermented, and baked wheat proteins found in commonly consumed foods such as sourdough bread, whole wheat products, and semolina pasta.
Emerging research demonstrates that heat, fermentation, and baking chemistry can significantly modify wheat proteins. These processes may destroy existing epitopes, reshape protein structures, or expose entirely new epitopes—the molecular targets recognized by the immune system. As a result, immune reactivity to cooked wheat proteins may differ from reactivity to gluten peptides typically measured in standard laboratory panels.
“We don’t eat raw flour. We eat bread. We eat pasta. We eat tortillas. Testing should reflect that reality,” says Mark McDonough, CEO of Cyrex Laboratories. “For the first time, individuals can see if their immune system reacts to cooked wheat products that may trigger inflammation. WheatBurden™ gives practitioners a more clinically relevant tool to understand immune activation, guide dietary decisions, and address chronic inflammatory and autoimmune patterns earlier.”
WheatBurden™ provides Cyrex Quality antibody profiling to:
-Multiple cooked wheat food forms
-Yeast-fermented doughs
-Commonly reactive wheat and gluten peptides
-Gluten-related enzymes
The enhanced and expanded panel introduces seven new processed wheat markers, providing healthcare practitioners with a more comprehensive view of immune reactivity to wheat as it is commonly consumed in the modern diet.
WheatBurden™ reflects more than two decades of research led by Aristo Vojdani, PhD, chief scientific advisor at Cyrex Laboratories and a pioneer in functional immunology. This work includes recent peer-reviewed research published in Foods, which highlights how modern food processing can alter protein structures and generate antigenic forms capable of triggering immune responses not detected by testing raw food proteins alone. Read the full open-access article here.
“For years, clinicians have relied on testing that focused primarily on raw wheat proteins, despite the fact that processing fundamentally changes how the immune system recognizes these antigens,” said Dr. Vojdani. “WheatBurden™ allows us to assess immune responses to both native and modified wheat proteins using validated, antigen-specific ELISA methodology. This expanded view helps clinicians identify immune reactivity patterns that may contribute to intestinal permeability, systemic inflammation, and autoimmune progression.”
All Cyrex Arrays are available exclusively through an order from a physician or licensed healthcare professional. To learn more about WheatBurden™ or other tests within the Cyrex System, visit www.joincyrex.com.
About Cyrex Laboratories
Cyrex Laboratories is a clinical immunology laboratory specializing in a proactive, personalized approach to functional immunology and autoimmunity. The laboratory offers multi-tissue antibody testing designed to support early detection and monitoring of complex immune-mediated conditions. Cyrex develops innovative testing arrays through ongoing collaboration with leading experts in medical research and clinical practice and operates using rigorously validated methodologies to ensure analytical precision, reproducibility, and clinically meaningful immune insights. Cyrex Laboratories is based in Phoenix, Arizona, and is CLIA licensed in the United States.
Kristina Cripe
Cyrex Laboratories
+1 913-237-5355
kristina.c@cyrexlabs.com
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