Live tweeting from Invest in ME Biomedical Research Colloquium 2016

[Sasha]

The hashtag for this is #BRMEC6 and searching on that gives you:

https://twitter.com/search?q=#brmec6&src=typd

Invest in ME themselves are tweeting on their Twitter account:

https://twitter.com/Invest_in_ME

The Swedish ME Association (RME) is also tweeting, in Swedish.

This is a two-day event (first day today, Wednesday) before the conference on Friday.

 

[Sasha]

I must admit it's all quite tight-lipped so far, though! The colloquium is not open to the public (and will not be recorded) and the tweeting at the moment seems to be more a matter of announcing when people take the podium.

Here's the programme (scroll down):

http://www.investinme.eu/BRMEC Colloquiums.shtml#BRMEC6

Hope @Jonathan Edwards might be able to give us a sense of things overall...

 

[Bob]

Thanks Sasha The list of presentations, over the two days, is fascinating. It makes me realise that there's a lot more research going on behind the scenes than we are aware of. I'd love to be at the event.

 

[Bob]

It's probably worth keeping an eye on all of these hashtags...

www.twitter.com/hashtag/brmec6
www.twitter.com/hashtag/IIME
www.twitter.com/hashtag/IIMEC11

 

[Bob]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/737300904760774657

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/737966799019479040

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/737969420044275713

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/737968279793307649

 

[Bob]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/737941762270863361

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/737942236302848001

 

[A.B.]

Do you feel it? The growing sensation that patients, researchers and decision makers are reaching the level of organization needed to find answers and make progress.

 

[Simon]

I must admit it's all quite tight-lipped so far, though! The colloquium is not open to the public (and will not be recorded) and the tweeting at the moment seems to be more a matter of announcing when people take the podium.

Yes, guess we won't see much action til the conference itself on Friday. Also, IiME are promsing conference highlights at the weekend, which is pretty impressive:

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/737968279793307649

 

[Simon]

First day of colloquium (today, Weds 1 June)

Diagnosis (clinical) – Patient Stratification (including the following)

• Clinical signs/symptoms of ME Professor Olli Polo, Tampere University, Finland
• Diagnostics and Patient Stratification for Research Dr Amolak Bansal, Epsom & St Helier NHS Trust, UK
• Protocols and Patient Databases for ME Dr Luis Nacul, LSHTM, UK
• Big Data Approach: Severely Ill ME Cohort Professor Ron Davis, Stanford, USA
• Chaired Discussion - Criteria to Use for ME/CFS Diagnosis Professor Angela Vincent, Oxford University, UK

Edit
- Angela Vincent — Emeritus professor of Neuroimmunology at Oxford, has been involved in conferences before (can't recall the details)



Sample Standardisation SOPs for Research (including the following)

• Biobank Samples and Protocols for UK/Europe Dr Eliana Lacerda, LSHTM, UK
• Analysis Protocols for ME Professor Jonas Bergquist, Uppsala University, Sweden
• Chaired discussion Sample Standardisation SOPs for Research Dr Jo Cambridge, UCL, UK

Biomarkers: 1 Data

• Keynote Speech: Longitudinal Immunological & Virological Study for ME/CFS Biomarker Discovery Professor Eleanor Riley, LSHTM, UK

Edit Riley is Professor of Infectious Disease Immunology at the London School of Hygeine andTropical Medicine, and this is presumably reporting on the NIH-funded study linked to the UK biobank (£1m grant for looking at virology, immunology and gene expression of mecfs vs healthy and MS controls - includes recruiting a total of 300 new people to the biobank)

Biomarkers: 2 Imaging

• Immune-Brain Communication and Relationship to Inflammation and Cohort Selection Challenges Dr Neil Harrison, Sussex University, UK
• Neuroimaging in Clinical Practice in ME tbc
• Chaired Discussion Neuroimaging in ME Research Professor Jonathan Edwards, UCL, UK

Biomarkers: 3 Mitochondria

• Keynote Speech: Understanding and Preventing Mitochondrial Oxidative Damage Dr Mike Murphy, MRC and Cambridge University, UK
• Mitochondria in ME/CFS Professor Maureen Hanson, Cornell University, USA
• Chaired discussion/workshop with participants Professor Jonas Blomberg, Uppsala University, Sweden

Edit More on Mike Murphy, who's new to me: Mike Murphy (Univ Cambridge) | MRC Mitochondrial Biology Unit
Targeting therapeutic and probe molecules to mitochondria, mitochondrial radical production and redox signalling

Adjourn

Wish I was there too

 

[Bob]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/738079471832436737

 

[Sasha]

Yesterday:

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/737702780463259649

 

[Seven7]

Why so little update going on. This is so uncharacteristic of CFS events. Any gag on guests???

 

[Sasha]

Why so little update going on. This is so uncharacteristic of CFS events. Any gag on guests???

I expect there is a gag on guests - these two days (the colloquium) are closed sessions. The conference on Friday is an open session (although even there, there is likely to be some embargoed material).

 

[mango]

Why so little update going on. This is so uncharacteristic of CFS events. Any gag on guests???

Yes, one of the guests, who was there today, told me that they have been given very strict instructions not to share any information at all. Same reason as usual: a lot of what has been talked about hasn't been published yet.

 

[Sasha]

Yes, one of the guests, who was there today, told me that they have been given very strict instructions not to share any information at all. Same reason as usual: a lot of what has been talked about hasn't been published yet.

Although this is frustrating for us, it's good to know that there's a lot in the publication pipeline and that the researchers are nevertheless happy to discuss their research with each other!

 

[Tuha]

It seems that there are a lot of subjects/talkes about mitochondria

 

[Bob]

- Angela Vincent — Emeritus professor of Neuroimmunology at Oxford, has been involved in conferences before (can't recall the details)

If I remember correctly, she gave a presentation at last year's conference about autoimmunity. I found it difficult to watch because she was discussing severe cases of autoimmune diseases.

 

[Marky90]

 

[Simon]

Agenda for Thursday 1 June​

What the researchers will be discussing, but as yesterday we presumably won't hear anything, action strarts tomorrow at the main conferencce

BRMEC6 - Day 2

Summary Day 1 - Objectives of DAY 2 Dr Ian Gibson, UEA, UK Professor Jonathan Edwards, UCL, UK


Biomarkers: 4 Antibodies (including the following)

• Autoantibodies in ME/CFS Professor Carmen Scheibenbogen, Charite, Berlin, Germany
• Antibodies to small DNA viruses Professor Jonas Blomberg, Uppala Uuniversity, Sweden
• Novel form of RNaseL Professor Elisa Oltra, Cell and Molecular Biology at the Universidad Católica de Valencia San Vicente Mártir”, Spain
• B cell biology and ME Dr Jo Cambridge, UCL, UK Fane Mensah, UCL, UK
• Chaired discussion Antibodies in ME/CFS Dr Juliá Blanco, IrsiCaixa, Institute for AIDS Research, Spai

Biomarkers: 5 Big Data Updates

• Big Data Approach for ME/CFS at Columbia University Professor Mady Hornig, Columbia University, USA
• Big Data Update from Stanford Professor Ron Davis, Standord Genome, USA
• Recent discoveries from NCNED data set: Gene expression & Receptor id Dr Don Staines, NCNED, Australia
• Chaired discussion - Challenges of Big Data Strategies Professor Jonas Bergquist, Uppsala University, Sweden

Would particularly like to listen in to that session!


Biomarkers: 6 Phenotypes (including the following)

• Glucocorticoid Resistance in ME Dr Amolak Bansal, Epsom & St. Helier NHS, UK
• Exercise Data, Orthostatic Tachycardia and Proteomics in ME Professor James Baraniuk, Georgetown University, USA
• Virome and Gut Microbiota in ME Professor Tom Wileman, UEA, UK
• Gut Microbe and Metabolomic Study of ME/CFS Patients Dr Christopher Armstrong, Dept Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Melbourne, Australia
• Discussion: Phenotypes in ME/CFS Professor Simon Carding, UEA/IFR, UK

Tom Wileman/Simon Carding are supported by IiME grants


Systems Biology (including the following)
A Systems Biology approach Dr Travis Craddock, Nova Southeastern University, Miami, USA

This is Nancy Klimas's lab, presumably reporting on the kind of work Gordon Broderick has done in the past


Novel Treatments (including the following)

Novel Treatments - Immunoadsorption Professor Carmen Scheibenbogen, Charite Berlin, Germany
Medical Education - BMJ Update Professor James Baraniuk, Georgetown University, USA

SUMMARY of BRMEC6 - Objectives Status Dr Ian Gibson Professor Jonathan Edwards
ends

 

[Bob]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/738379596031229952