EUROMENE and the search for ME/CFS biomarkers: MEA blog

[charles shepherd]

Euromene: New European ME/CFS Biomarker database project | 31 July 2017

Last week, an inaugural review was published that presented a biomarker database initiative by EUROMENE, and will lead to better collaboration between ME/CFS research groups across Europe. The review also highlighted flaws in current research, suggested possible improvements, and drew attention to the significant lack of funding for ME/CFS research in general.

EUROMENE (The European ME network) is a collaboration of researchers and clinicians from 17 european countries who aim to promote cooperation and advance research on ME/CFS. They are funded by COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology), a non-profit organization, and this initial study has established a database on all biomarker research relating to ME/CFS within Europe on which they hope future research will build.

Two members of EUROMENE are in receipt of grant funding by the ME Association’s Ramsay Research Fund. Dr Eliana Lacerda is a member of the UK ME/CFS Biobank team at London School Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and Dr Elisa Oltra from Spain is examining micro-RNA in PBMCs and exosome-enriched vesicles in people with severe ME/CFS.


Full blog here:
http://www.meassociation.org.uk/201...ecfs-biomarker-database-project-31-july-2017/

ME Biobank at the Royal Free Hospital in London:
http://cureme.lshtm.ac.uk

Dr Charles Shepherd
Hon Medical Adviser MEA

 

[Dolphin]

The bottom line

This paper is a fantastic step in the right direction. EUROMENE are bringing ME/CFS researchers together across Europe to collaborate on key issues and are trying to set a higher standard of research – which is desperately needed – and it concludes with a very important message: that the main reason for the scattering of small studies is due to lack of funding.

“To promote research, it is crucial to increase funding for ME/CFS, which is currently still far below the budget funds for most other serious diseases in both the EU and the US funding agencies, such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH)”