Send an Email for free membership
~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~
>>>>> Help ME Circle <<<<
>>>> 21 December 2011 <<<<
Editorship : j.van.roijen@chello.nl
~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~
Medical Research Council announces
ME/CFS research projects worth =A31.6m
by Tony Britton on December 21, 2011
From a UK Medical Research Council press release:
embargoed until 00:01am, 21 December 2011
The Medical Research Council (MRC) has
awarded more than =A31.6m for research into
the causes of the debilitating condition
chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic
encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME).
The investment will fund five new projects to investigate the
mechanisms and underlying biological processes involved in
the illness, which could eventually lead to better diagnosis
and the development of more effective treatments.
CFS/ME is a complex and debilitating condition that affects
around 250,000 people in the UK , including children.
Symptoms include profound physical and mental fatigue,
muscle and joint pain, disturbed sleep patterns and
concentration and memory problems. The combination and
severity of symptoms varies from patient to patient, making
it a difficult condition to diagnose and treat.
Professor Stephen Holgate, Chair of the
MRC=92s Population and Systems Medicine
Board, said:
=93There is a pressing need to understand the causes of
CFS/ME, and the MRC is delighted to announce substantial
funding to address this. The quality and breadth of the
scientific proposals we received in response to our funding
call exceeded expectations and led to us funding more
studies than we had originally anticipated.
=93We=92re especially pleased that the five new projects address
many of the priority areas identified by our CFS/ME Expert
Group in collaboration with charities and leading
researchers in the field. We hope the awards will drive
forward the research agenda in this area, paving the way for
new diagnostic tools and treatments.=94
Dr Charles Shepherd, member of the MRC
CFS/ME Expert Group and trustee of the ME
Association, which has agreed to provide
=A330,000 to co-fund one of the five projects,
said:
=93The ME Association is very pleased to learn that the MRC
has followed up the research priorities identified by the
Expert Group and agreed to fund five high-quality studies
that aim to identify important biomedical abnormalities that
may be involved in the underlying cause of CFS/ME.
=93The patient community will particularly welcome research
involving biomarkers/biological fingerprints, which could
lead to a diagnostic test, and immune system
abnormalities, which could lead to more effective forms of
treatment.
=93The fact that one of the studies is being co-funded by the
charity sector marks a much needed step forward in
co-operation between patients and researchers in this field.
This initiative could be utilised to help fund additional
research involving the priorities not yet covered by this
announcement.=94
The MRC has striven to stimulate high quality CFS/ME
research for a number of years. Most recently the specially
constituted MRC CFS/ME Expert Group, which involves
leading researchers in the field and related areas, along with
representatives from two CFS/ME charities, identified six
priority areas where important research questions remained
unanswered.
In February 2011, the MRC issued a =A31.5m call for
proposals in these areas, aimed at encouraging fresh
partnerships between established CFS/ME researchers and
those with strong scientific credentials, but new to this field.
The key areas were:
=95 Nervous system disorders
=95 Cognitive symptoms
=95 Fatigue
=95 Immune dysregulation (eg. through viral infection)
=95 Pain
=95 Sleep disorders
In response to the high quality of the applications received,
the MRC decided to provide an extra =A3150,000 to support
the package of successful projects. The awards range in
total value from =A3120,000 to =A3450,000 and the successful
applicants were:
=B7 Dr Wan Ng, Newcastle University
=B7 Professor Julia Newton, Newcastle University
=B7 Professor Anne McArdle, University of Liverpool
=B7 Professor David Nutt, Imperial College London
=B7 Dr Carmine Pariante, King=92s College London
While the applications addressed most of the priority areas
highlighted in the call, the MRC will announce shortly how it
plans to stimulate research activity in those areas which
were not covered.
Notes to editors
Contact Hannah Isom
Senior press officer, Medical Research Council
T: 0207 395 2345 (out of hours: 07818 428 297)
E: press.office@headoffice.mrc.ac.uk.
A full list of the five fully-funded programmes is included
below, along with short summaries of the research
proposals.
Identifying the biological fingerprints of
fatigue
Principal investigator: Dr Wan Ng
Institution: Newcastle University
Summary: Researchers will analyse the immune systems of
more than 500 patients with primary Sj=F6gren syndrome =96 a
chronic condition with similar symptoms to CFS/ME,
including intense fatigue. Scientists will look for immune
system abnormalities in these patients to help them identify
the biological =93fingerprints=94 of fatigue. It is hoped this will
improve their understanding of the mechanisms of fatigue
with a view to developing new treatments. It also offers the
hope of a clinical test for the diagnosis of CFS/ME.
Understanding the pathogenesis of
autonomic dysfunction in chronic fatigue
syndrome and its relationship with cognitive
impairment
Principal investigator: Professor Julia Newton
Institution: Newcastle University
Summary: Researchers will explore what causes
dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system =96
characterised by dizziness and light-headedness =96 present
in up to 90 per cent of CFS/ME sufferers. They will use
functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to measure
changes in blood flow to the brain and how this relates to
cognition and nervous system dysfunction. The researchers
hope their work will lay the foundations for new diagnostic
tools, a better understanding of nervous system
abnormalities and the development of targeted treatments
aimed at reversing these abnormalities.
Modulation of aberrant mitochondrial function
and cytokine production in skeletal muscle of
patients with CFS by supplementary
polyphenols
Principal investigator: Professor Anne McArdle
Institution: University of Liverpool (joint with the University of
Leeds )
Summary: Scientists will use a newly-developed technique
to study the energy-generating components of muscle cells
(mitochondria). Some studies have suggested that
mitochondria may be dysfunctional in CFS/ME, leading to
an energy deficit. The scientists hope this will help them
learn more about how CFS/ME develops and becomes a
chronic condition.
Can enhancing slow wave sleep SWS
improve daytime function in patients with
CFS?
Principal investigator: Professor David Nutt
Institution: Imperial College London
Summary: Researchers will study sleep disturbance =96 a
core symptom of CFS/ME. Experts in CFS/ME, sleep and
psychopharmacology will use a drug to increase deep
restorative sleep in CFS/ME patients and measure the
effect on their brain function during waking hours. It is hoped
the research will increase their understanding of how sleep
disturbance affects CFS/ME sufferers, with a view to
developing new therapies.
Persistent fatigue induced by interferon-
alpha: a new immunological model for
chronic fatigue syndrome
Principal investigator: Dr Carmine Pariante
Institution: King=92s College London
Summary: Researchers will examine the effects of a protein
called interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) on the immune system.
IFN-alpha is produced as a protective response to viral
infection and is commonly used to treat infections such as
hepatitis C. IFN-alpha also induces fatigue and flu-like
symptoms in patients, similar to that experienced by
patients with CFS/ME. The team will follow patients
undergoing IFN-alpha treatment for Hepatitis C over a
number of months to define the biological changes that
occur in relation to the development of fatigue. Their work
could lead to a check-list of blood measures to predict who
will develop CFS/ME, as well as identifying new targets for
therapy.
For almost 100 years the Medical Research Council has
improved the health of people in the UK and around the
world by supporting the highest quality science. The MRC
invests in world-class scientists. It has produced 29 Nobel
Prize winners and sustains a flourishing environment for
internationally recognised research. The MRC focuses on
making an impact and provides the financial muscle and
scientific expertise behind medical breakthroughs,
including one of the first antibiotics penicillin, the structure
of DNA and the lethal link between smoking and cancer.
Today MRC funded scientists tackle research into the
major health challenges of the 21st century. www.mrc.ac.uk
~~~~=20
---------------------------------------------
Send posts to CO-CURE@listserv.nodak.edu
Unsubscribe at http://www.co-cure.org/unsub.htm
Too much mail? Try a digest version. See http://www.co-cure.org/digest.htm
---------------------------------------------
Co-Cure's purpose is to provide information from across the spectrum of
opinion concerning medical, research and political aspects of ME/CFS and/or
FMS. We take no position on the validity of any specific scientific or
political opinion expressed in Co-Cure posts, and we urge readers to
research the various opinions available before assuming any one
interpretation is definitive. The Co-Cure website <www.co-cure.org> has a
link to our complete archive of posts as well as articles of central
importance to the issues of our community.
---------------------------------------------
