ME affects one in every 250 people in the UK - children and adults. There is no cure. The disease is often triggered by an infection and can strike previously active individuals of any age. Without more biomedical research, diagnosis will remain complicated.
The disease affects people to different extents: some can't sleep, some sleep for abnormally long periods. Some become so weak they are confined to bed or a wheelchair for months and or even years. Inability to concentrate can take away the ability to read, to understand, and to make reliable decisions. Some succumb suddenly, while for others it is a gradual decline. Universally, quality of life is lost, and the disease can last for many years.
Medicine still has many questions to answer: how big a part is played by infection and the immune system? the brain and muscle? the gut? the heart? gene expression? is there an autoimmune component? And how do all the identified abnormalities fit together?
The ME Association funds only biomedical research. We currently fund studies into mitochondrial (muscle) dysfunction, immune function, and sleep disturbance, and we co-fund the UK ME Biobank - a valuable repository that shares blood samples with researchers. Progress is being made, but more funding for quality biomedical research is desperately needed.
If the MEA wins this contest, ALL the money will be ring-fenced for biomedical research into either: a clinical trial of Rituximab, a study of neuroinflammation, or the exploration of immune system abnormalities.
We also produce valued information, advice and support to sufferers and their families. We believe those affected by ME deserve a better future. Please vote for us.
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