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NIH awards £1m grant to UK Biobank

snowathlete

Senior Member
Messages
5,374
Location
UK
That's interesting - I didn't know that. But it's still kind of weird that their funding rate for US researchers' proposals appears to be about 6% and they're turning down the likes of Nancy Klimas etc. who get funded in their other research areas and so are clearly top-notch. Jennie Spotila calculated the NIH's effective spend on ME last year to have been about $3 million or $4 million - and here's a quarter of that going on a UK study.

They must have put a good proposal together. I'd have thought that it's even harder to get a grant from the NIH if you are outside the US, because you would have to demonstrate potential benefit to the US still.
 

Firestormm

Senior Member
Messages
5,055
Location
Cornwall England
That's interesting - I didn't know that. But it's still kind of weird that their funding rate for US researchers' proposals appears to be about 6% and they're turning down the likes of Nancy Klimas etc. who get funded in their other research areas and so are clearly top-notch. Jennie Spotila calculated the NIH's effective spend on ME last year to have been about $3 million or $4 million - and here's a quarter of that going on a UK study.

Way I look at it is this is a long-term background project that will help facilitate research in the future. It is worth doing because it will better enable more research upstream. It also proposes the long-term monitoring. Will try and find out if I can what the application itself comprised - and if possible - what exactly appealed to the NIH. But I think it's in everyone's interest really to have these projects running. There's one too in Norway isn't there?

Also the funding is over is over 3 years don't forget - but that's still a notable chunk of cash. What is more interesting to me at least is the decision to fund this Biobank and not the US ones (CAA and OMI-MERIT). Now, it could simply be that they haven't applied for funding from this source and will be doing so in the future - but I am kerfuddled right now and can't remember details.

You know, I was saying on Facebook, that for us in the UK and perhaps elsewhere, at the very least this to me represents a solid endorsement that ME is recognised as a disease worth investigating seriously, and as this is biomedical research - it's helping significantly to allay any existing notions of the purely psychological nature. I really do think this is a phenomenal development for us especially in the UK. It shows commitment and belief I think. But that's just me. I have had no problem at all in calling my family and telling them how I feel and they are as pleased as I am that the American Government have shown such an endorsement.

For those concerned about the selection criteria still, then this comment from Charles might help:

The initial application to NIH went in quite some time ago and at that time it was considered that the best two research criteria to use were the Fukuda and Canadian. The ICC hasn't managed to achieve any serious widespread recognition amongst people carrying out ME/CFS research, or major research funders such as MRC, NIHR and NIH. This has to be taken into account when research funding applications are being made at this sort of level. I hope you will still agree that this is a major achievement for all those involved in setting up and operating the UK Biobank.

Hey, you know I was thinking, that it costs an awful lot of money to do what they are doing, don't you think? I mean they've collected 100 samples already, and aim for 500 in total I believe - but this money from the US will only fund the project for 3 years. I find that quite staggering. Goes to show I suppose the amount of work involved: assessing, collecting, analysing, storing... etc.

And that use of MS samples is intriguing too. Fascinating that they will be doing that alongside 'normal' controls. Did you notice that they will arrange for samples to be taken in a person's own home? This means of course that those with severe ME can participate. It's one area that I know they are very keen to ensure are reached.

Anyway, enough of my blather. Happy kid with a thumping head :)
 

Sasha

Fine, thank you
Messages
17,863
Location
UK
Hi Firestormm - I hope I'm not sounding critical of the grant being awarded to this excellent project - it's clearly exremely worthwhile and it's great that the NIH is willing to recognise the international value. My only surprise is the NIH not supporting their home-grown research proposals with equal enthusiasm. That's the weirdness: the mismatch in support.
 

Firestormm

Senior Member
Messages
5,055
Location
Cornwall England
Hi Firestormm - I hope I'm not sounding critical of the grant being awarded to this excellent project - it's clearly exremely worthwhile and it's great that the NIH is willing to recognise the international value. My only surprise is the NIH not supporting their home-grown research proposals with equal enthusiasm. That's the weirdness: the mismatch in support.

Nah you don't come across as negative, Sasha. Legitimate questions I'd say. I think though it's not a black and white comparison - at least that's how I'm seeing it. This is a Biobank and not an individual research proposal. And of course each application is judged on it's merits. It does though offer something fundamentally different and it may be - I don't know of course - that the funding 'pot' is from a different allocation within the budget as it's a UK source? Not sure or clear how it works really. I am though - again - surprised it wasn't afforded to a US Biobank but as I said there could be a simple explanation for this i.e. they haven't applied - or that the UK project is up and running and with 100 samples collected (I know the CAA have begun and collected but OMI-MERIT haven't). Maybe tomorrow the UK Government MRC will fund something in the USA for ME? Perhaps it's the start of something new :)
 

SOC

Senior Member
Messages
7,849
My guess is that the potential benefit to the US ME/CFS patients is that it will eventially prove a real physiological illness exists in the UK leading to a stronger effort to get Wessely and crew to shut the F up and stop screwing up the published data on the illness. That would be enough to forward research into the illness about 10 years. That's my thinking, anyway. ;)

Maybe tomorrow the UK Government MRC will fund something in the USA for ME? Perhaps it's the start of something new :)
Yeah, right. :rolleyes: We wish. [Sorry, we just got furloughed and not feeling excited about gov't choices in how money our money is spent. I'll get over it. :)]
 

Snow Leopard

Hibernating
Messages
5,902
Location
South Australia
Hi Firestormm - I hope I'm not sounding critical of the grant being awarded to this excellent project - it's clearly exremely worthwhile and it's great that the NIH is willing to recognise the international value. My only surprise is the NIH not supporting their home-grown research proposals with equal enthusiasm. That's the weirdness: the mismatch in support.

For me the mismatch is how little money they spend. If they were serious about their commitment to funding based on disease burden, they would have funded many of the high quality proposals from US researchers as well. I'm talking $50 million per year, not $5 million. All of this is fully justified by the data.
 

Sasha

Fine, thank you
Messages
17,863
Location
UK
For me the mismatch is how little money they spend. If they were serious about their commitment to funding based on disease burden, they would have funded many of the high quality proposals from US researchers as well. I'm talking $50 million per year, not $5 million. All of this is fully justified by the data.


Totally agree. Much weirdness from the NIH when it comes to their ME research funding.
 

SpecialK82

Ohio, USA
Messages
993
Location
Ohio, USA
I agree with Sasha's and Firestormm points that it seems to be so weird coming from the US when the US projects have such a difficult time getting anything, and as Firestormm said, we have two biobank projects here which will need alot of support. I'm am very excited that the UK is getting the help it deserves no matter where it comes from though.

It would be a great question to ask Susan Meier of the NIH - how exactly did this happen?? It would be awesome if somehow the US biobanks and the UK biobank could share results (of course they must use the same definition, etc.) and could gain synergy working together. The NIH funding would then make more sense to me if we had a network of banks that would work together. This hasn't been mentioned though, and I certainly hope that the banks involved will discuss those possibilities. It would be a huge step in the wrong direction for them not to sync up on criteria ahead of time.
 

Bob

Senior Member
Messages
16,455
Location
England (south coast)
Well, I'm happy to have been bought for £1 million! :)

Me too! :)

Thank you to our USA friends! :)

UK folk definitely need the USA, and everyone else involved in ME research (e.g. Norway, Australia), because our future would probably be hopeless without you.

I'm really surprised by this grant as well. It is a very large amount, considering how CFS research is usually funded.

I doubt if the grant is a one-way street. At the very least, the USA will have access to the results of the research that the grant will allow. Good quality research is good quality research, wherever it's carried out.
And perhaps USA researchers will be allowed access to the UK biobank samples, as a condition of the grant?

I've not seen the details of the grant yet, but it seems to involve some research funding, and not just funding for the biobank. I'd like to see the details if anyone knows where to find them.
 

John Mac

Senior Member
Messages
321
Location
Liverpool UK
Me too! :)

Thank you to our USA friends! :)

UK folk definitely need the USA, and everyone else involved in ME research, because our future would probably be hopeless without you.

I'm really surprised by this grant as well. It is a very large amount, considering how CFS research is usually funded.

I doubt if the grant is a one-way street. At the very least, the USA will have access to the results of the research that the grant will allow. Good quality research is good quality research, wherever it's carried out.
And perhaps USA researchers will be allowed access to the UK biobank samples, as a condition of the grant?

I've not seen the details of the grant yet, but it seems to involve some research funding, and not just funding for the biobank. I'd like to see the details if anyone knows where to find them.


Totally agree with you Bob. Whenever I get angry about the way we get treated here in the UK by the SW school and the media I always remind myself that we still have the USA to fight our corner
 

Firestormm

Senior Member
Messages
5,055
Location
Cornwall England
It seems that it's not so unusual for the NIH to fund (non-CFS) UK research.
This is what they've funded only in 2013:
http://report.nih.gov/award/index.c...orgid=&distr=&rfa=&om=n&pid=&view=statedetail

Thanks for this senor roberto :) You see that London Tropical have previously got an award out of the NIH for the ME/CFS longitudinal study $500k. Here and Here. Looks then like they have an established relationship. Very interesting... :) Good background for my article. Muchas Gracias amigo :)

This is, to our knowledge, the first longitudinal study of ME/CFS to incorporate both mild and severe cases, age, sex, and residence-matched Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and healthy controls, and to incorporate virological, immunological and gene expression data into the same study. There is a clear need for research in these areas, and the inclusion of severe cases using home visits will allow for research on a subset of patients often neglected in ME/CFS studies. Because approximately 1-4 million Americans have ME/CFS, this study has the potential to impact the lives of a large patient population in the US as well as advance the state of the field in the US, UK, and globally through the potential identification of evidence related to disease etiology and pathophysiology as well as disease subtypes and biomarkers, revealing potential routes for treatment.

Guess that answers some folks questions :)
 

Firestormm

Senior Member
Messages
5,055
Location
Cornwall England
Bob I am intrigued now. Do you think the above is in addition to the £1m announcement? Only the date of this $539k is 15 June 2013. Am left wondering if it isn't part of the £1m allocation. Any ideas?
 

Bob

Senior Member
Messages
16,455
Location
England (south coast)
Bob I am intrigued now. Do you think the above is in addition to the £1m announcement? Only the date of this $539k is 15 June 2013. Am left wondering if it isn't part of the £1m allocation. Any ideas?

I agree with your thoughts. I think it's half of the £1m. And my guess is that the other half goes towards running the biobank for another 3 years. (I think they said it would keep it running for another 3 years?)