Nielk
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Mt. View, CA, May 6, 2013 – The Open Medicine Institute (OMI), an organization with a mission to improve health care by applying a multi-disciplinary, “big data” approach, today announced that it has received over $1 Million in contributions to undertake novel research into ME/CFS (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome).
The Edward P. Evans Foundation, a non-profit with a mission to support transformational and collaborative medical research, has given significant funding to the Open Medicine Foundation to support a key study investigating the role of genetics and potential heritable risk in this debilitating chronic disease. The Open Medicine Institute will lead the investigation. The 12-month study will use the most advanced technology available to measure DNA sequences in a set of ME/CFS patients and unaffected persons. It will include whole genome sequencing and analysis, DNA methylation investigation, HLA and other molecular level testing of areas of interest in a selected group of approximately 1000 individuals. Ron Davis, PhD, of the Stanford Genome Technology Center will be a key collaborator on the study.
This is the first fully-funded research project stemming from the OMI-MERIT Initiative – a new approach to tackling ME/CFS based on the collaborative efforts of an international network of recognized disease area experts.
The Neuro-Immune Disease Alliance has also donated funds that will support an OMI-led pilot study examining the potential benefit of a novel therapy (Moringa oleifera). This project will be the first to apply molecular biology tools and standardized scientific methods and to evaluate a non-pharmacologic substance with reported anecdotal benefits in treating ME/CFS. Natural killer cells and other immune markers will be tested in response to treatment with the natural substance and gene expression tests will be performed on certain individuals.
“We are delighted to partner with the Edward P. Evans Foundation and use their generous donation to conduct a needed study into the genetic component of a prevalent but largely ignored disease that until now, has been deemed ‘too complex’ to understand and treat,” said Andreas Kogelnik, MD, PhD, founder of the Open Medicine Institute and Principal Investigator on both studies. “We look forward to a successful, ongoing relationship with their foundation that, like OMI, is focused on high-quality, collaborative research. We are also pleased to have received significant support from NIDA, an organization fully committed to improving diagnostics and treatments for ME/CFS and other neuro-immune diseases.”
The Open Medicine Institute is fostering a new health care model by integrating direct patient involvement with a multi-disciplinary, big data technology approach to advance the understanding of complex diseases and directly improve outcomes. The Institute’s immediate research efforts focus on poorly characterized diseases such as: ME/CFS, Autism, Lyme, Multiple Sclerosis, other neuro-immune conditions and certain cancers. The translational model is applicable to a wide range of diseases and conditions.
Editor’s note:
Claims of the medicinal effectiveness of the Moringa tree have encouraged Jed W. Fahey, Sc.D. and his colleagues at John Hopkins School of Medicine, to do a review of the reports of the medicinal and nutritional properties of this product, available athttp://www.TFLJournal.org/article.php/20051201124931586