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News from ME Research UK

ME Research’s “Breakthrough” special magazine to celebrate over £1,000,000 of research funding for ME is now online at http://www.meresearch.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/research-overview.pdf   

These quotes below are from an article  http://www.meresearch.org.uk/our-research/overview-of-funded-research/

“In early 2014, ME Research UK reached a milestone, topping the £1 million mark in grants awarded to researchers. This represents 35 specific biomedical projects, the results of which have now been published as 58 research papers in peer-reviewed scientific journals.” http://www.meresearch.org.uk/our-research/overview-of-funded-research/ “Our research has taken place at institutions in the UK and overseas, and has involved many of the systems of the body. To date, the most important findings have centred around the autonomic nervous system, which controls some core body functions such as heart rate, digestion and breathing; the immune system, which protects us from infection; the circulatory system, particularly the heart and blood vessels which supply oxygen to tissues; and the musculoskeletal system, which is a source of pain and fatigue for many people with ME/CFS. “

“So, what does our overview ‘£1 million of biomedical research’ reveal? Well, the most important lesson is that physiological abnormalities and biological anomalies can be found in ME/CFS patients if scientists have the funding – and the drive – to uncover them. For too long, the prevailing wisdom among some policy makers and healthcare professionals was that scientific investigation was largely unnecessary, since the primary disturbance in people with ME/CFS was psychological. We now know this to be false: scientists can certainly find physical abnormalities – e.g. autonomic nervous system dysfunction, neutrophil apoptosis, arterial stiffness, impaired recovery from exercise, increased oxidative stress – and nonspecific psychological therapies are not cures.”

The research funded by MERUK covers – Genes and systems analysis • Infection • Definitions and diagnosis • Immunity • Circulation and the blood • Clinical trials and therapies • Brain and nervous system • Exercise and muscle • Pain and sensitivity • Children and young people • Research infrastructure • Programmes of research