Job Posting In Science Careers

[Never Give Up]

Defining autoimmune aspects of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS)
University of East Anglia Other

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Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) is a multifactorial disorder affecting the nervous system that is defined by symptom-specific criteria and characterised by severe and prolonged fatigue. The aetiology of the disorder is unknown. Alterations in the innate and adaptive immune system, recurrent or persistent infections that can originate in the gut, autoantibody production and the effectiveness of B cell depletion (Rituximab) therapy suggest that ME patients may suffer from autoimmune responses. The aim of this PhD project is to test the hypothesis that ME is an autoimmune disorder originating in the gut as a consequence of altered intestinal permeability (leaky gut) leading to exposure of the immune system to commensal gut microbes and their products and the generation of pathogenic (auto) antibodies cross-reactive with antigens expressed in the central nervous system (CNS). Using samples collected from ME patients with mild, moderate and severe symptoms the student will undertake the following objectives:

1. Investigate the presence of (auto) antibodies reactive with intestinal microbes and/or cells of the CNS using novel high throughput liquid and solid phase assays and immunohistochemical assays with tissue and primary neuronal cells, respectively.

2. Determine the presence and characteristics of T lymphocytes with the capacity to home to the CNS using multiparameter flow cytometry and cell-culture based functional assays.

3. Determine the impact of Rituximab therapy on (auto) antibodies reactive with intestinal microbes and/or CNS cells, and brain-homing T cells.



This multidisciplinary project provides an opportunity for extensive training in cell and molecular immunology and microbiology available within the groups of Profs Carding and Wileman at the UEA-Norwich Medical School. The project benefits from collaborations with Prof Angela Vincent's Neuroimmunology group at Oxford University and with Prof Jonathan Edwards' group at University College London that undertakes clinical trials of B-cell depletion for autoimmune disease.

ETS: http://jobs.sciencecareers.org/job/...alomyelitis-chronic-fatigue-syndrome-me-cfs-/

 

[Never Give Up]

Here's another one.

Gut Viruses and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS)
University of East Anglia Other

• Add to shortlist
• Apply

Myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) is a multifactorial disorder affecting the nervous system characterised by severe and prolonged fatigue. The cause is unknown although alterations in the immune system, recurrent or persistent infections, that can originate in the gut, autoantibody production and the effectiveness of B cell-depletion therapy suggest that ME patients suffer from autoimmune responses (1). Indeed, patients with ME have altered immune signatures indicative of viral infection (2) with most patients having persistent or intermittent symptoms of gastrointestinal dysfunction, with a significant subset presenting with chronic enterovirus infection of the stomach (4, 5). In contrast to acquired environmental virus infections, there is evidence that alterations in virus populations resident in the human gut (the gut virobiota) are linked to the development of inflammatory diseases (3). This PhD project will investigate whether the underlying causes of ME are related to the presence of specific virus populations within the gut virobiota. Using high throughput DNA/RNA sequencing technology and bioinformatics tools we will determine if and how both resident gut bacteria and virus populations changes with disease progression and if a distinct virobiota signature can be identified in ME patients. Functional studies will establish whether the virobiota of ME patients contains viruses able to kill commensal bacteria (bacteriophages) and invade host cells in the gut (eukaryotic viruses), and can invoke local and systemic inflammatory immune responses after transfer to experimental animals.

This multidisciplinary project provides an opportunity for extensive training in virology, animal and cell biology, ‘omics', and bioinformatics. The student will benefit from extensive knowledge and technical expertise of senior scientists in the groups of Profs Wileman and Carding at the UEA-Norwich Medical School. The project also benefits from collaborative work with Cornell University (USA), which is undertaking a parallel project with a USA cohort of ME patients.

http://jobs.sciencecareers.org/job/...alomyelitis-chronic-fatigue-syndrome-me-cfs-/

 

[John Mac]

It all seems to be happening in East Anglia what with this and the East Anglia Trust's ME clinic going biomedical.


"The project also benefits from collaborative work with Cornell University (USA), which is undertaking a parallel project with a USA cohort of ME patients."

Is this new info?

 

[Never Give Up]

It all seems to be happening in East Anglia what with this and the East Anglia Trust's ME clinic going biomedical.


"The project also benefits from collaborative work with Cornell University (USA), which is undertaking a parallel project with a USA cohort of ME patients."

Is this new info?

It's new to me!

 

[worldbackwards]

It all seems to be happening in East Anglia what with this and the East Anglia Trust's ME clinic going biomedical.

Is Norwich a kind of ME utopia? We should be told.

 

[MEMum]

I think this is all related to Invest in ME. The chair at their research meetings is Dr/Professor Ian Gibson who used to be Dean of Biology (or something similar) there. Prof Simon Carding (gut research) spoke at IiME in 2014. This year an . IiME funded PhD and two medical students were interviewed at IiME conf, together with the UCL PhD student. The med students were taking a year to do research. I think originally they were going to be working alongside the PhD student, in Norfolk, but delays in ethical approval etc meant they were diverted. One went to work on autoantibodies to CNS in ME with Professor Vincent in Oxford. The other went to USA I think to Cornell.
Maybe these preliminary studies have genereated enough info to get funding for PhD studies.
The head of the whole Research Park spoke this May in London. Sorry I can't reliably remember all their names and don't have my notes to hand.
So yes , there are some science literate, ME aware people in Norfolk.

 

[charles shepherd]

And another one…

Following approval by the MEA Ramsay Research Fund to provide just under £85,000 to fund a further two years work at the UK ME/CFS Biobank, there is now a vacancy for the newly created position of a Biobank Co-ordinator and Project Manager. The work will include the release of blood samples to researchers who want to make use of them.

More details on the job vacancy can be found here:


http://www.meassociation.org.uk/201...rdinator-and-project-manager-6-november-2015/

 

[Jo Best]

I think this is all related to Invest in ME. The chair at their research meetings is Dr/Professor Ian Gibson who used to be Dean of Biology (or something similar) there. Prof Simon Carding (gut research) spoke at IiME in 2014. This year an . IiME funded PhD and two medical students were interviewed at IiME conf, together with the UCL PhD student. The med students were taking a year to do research. I think originally they were going to be working alongside the PhD student, in Norfolk, but delays in ethical approval etc meant they were diverted. One went to work on autoantibodies to CNS in ME with Professor Vincent in Oxford. The other went to USA I think to Cornell.
Maybe these preliminary studies have genereated enough info to get funding for PhD studies.
The head of the whole Research Park spoke this May in London. Sorry I can't reliably remember all their names and don't have my notes to hand.
So yes , there are some science literate, ME aware people in Norfolk.

Yes, this is a development of the Invest in ME Centre of Excellence for Translational Biomedical Research, based at Norwich Research Park to take advantage of facilities such as the Institute of Food Research (for research on the role of the gut microbiome in ME), UEA and The Genome Analysis Centre, as well as N&N University Hospital, but working with other biomedical researchers in UK (e.g. Oxford, UCL) and other countries. A crowdfunding campaign was created by patients to support this work in 2011 and here is the current site - http://ldifme.org/
The speaker from Norwich Research Park at IIMEC10 was Professor Ian Charles.
Just for easy ref., the IIMEC Report is here -
http://investinme.eu/IIMEC10.shtml#report
The IIMEC10 DVD order page is here -
http://investinme.eu/IIMEC10.shtml#dvd

 

[Jo Best]

Yes, this is a development of the Invest in ME Centre of Excellence for Translational Biomedical Research, based at Norwich Research Park to take advantage of facilities such as the Institute of Food Research (for research on the role of the gut microbiome in ME), UEA and The Genome Analysis Centre, as well as N&N University Hospital, but working with other biomedical researchers in UK (e.g. Oxford, UCL) and other countries. A crowdfunding campaign was created by patients to support this work in 2011 and here is the current site - http://ldifme.org/
The speaker from Norwich Research Park at IIMEC10 was Professor Ian Charles.
Just for easy ref., the IIMEC Report is here -
http://investinme.eu/IIMEC10.shtml#report
The IIMEC10 DVD order page is here -
http://investinme.eu/IIMEC10.shtml#dvd

Also, Invest in ME arranged for Mady Hornig from Columbia and UCL PhD student Fane Mensah, to speak at an open research meeting at Norwich Research Park last month - http://ldifme.org/meet-with-mady-hornig-at-norwich-research-park/