Research
Action for M.E. to fund new research into M.E.
22 October 2011
Action for M.E. issued a call for high-quality, innovative proposals for
biomedical research into M.E. at its annual conference today.
Thanks to a generous gift from an anonymous private donor, Action for M.E. is
making two grants of up to £25,000 each available for researchers who want to
investigate the biology of the illness.
The call for proposals focuses on autonomic dysfunction, fatigue, immune
dysregulation and pain.
Action for M.E. is already co-funding the UK's first biobank for M.E. and has
previously funded pilot research projects including a National Outcomes
Database
and feasibility study for a post-mortem tissue archive.
Sir Peter Spencer, Chief Executive, says, "The Norwegian study published on
Thursday has put M.E./CFS research back in the spotlight after doctors
successfully treated a small sample of CFS patients with the cancer drug,
rituximab. Small-scale studies are vital pointers for the large-scale research
necessary before the benefits and risks of any medication are fully
understood.
"The success of our previous pilot research projects has shown how effective
charities can be when they invest intelligently in key aspects of research.
Action for M.E. is calling for proposals which demonstrate techniques that
could
transform our understanding of the aetiology and pathogenesis – the causes and
development – of M.E.
"We will be particularly interested in proposals that would make good use of
the
biobank for M.E. we launched in August. However, scientific excellence will be
the main factor in our selection."
Professor Stephen Holgate CBE, Chair, Medical Research Council Expert Group on
CFS/M.E., says, "Action for M.E.'s initiative fits perfectly with the national
framework, established by the Medical Research Council expert group, for
taking
forward the UK's research effort into M.E./CFS. This is a marvellous
opportunity
for research scientists to test and demonstrate ideas that could then lead on
to
full scale research projects."
Proposals must be submitted by email by 4pm Friday 20 January 2012.
<http://www.actionforme.org.uk/get-informed/news/our-news/action-for-me-to-fund-\
new-research-into-me>
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Rituximab Study
Oct. 19, 2011 – Researchers in Norway say they’ve been able to treat symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome by giving patients a biologic drug that affects the immune system.
The drug, rituximab (Rituxan), works by depleting immune cells called B-cells. It is approved to treat non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, rheumatoid arthritis, and two kinds of vasculitis.
some links to relevant articles are below-
http://www.meassociation.org.uk/?p=8441
http://www.meassociation.org.uk/?p=8459
http://www.meassociation.org.uk/?p=8603
http://www.meassociation.org.uk/?p=8575
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn21065-chronic-fatigue-syndrome-eased-by-cancer-drug.html
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Check out the MERGE web-site for new ME related research.
www.meresearch.org.
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XMRV Research
For information on the new XMRV related research please check out
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