charles shepherd
Senior Member
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Mitochondrial muscle research in ME/CFS
You tube video of Dr Karl Morten's presentation at the John Radcliffe (teaching) Hospital, Oxford last week (part of our ME Awareness Week coverage on 11th May) on what mitochondria do (very easy to understand) and the new research study into mitochondrial dysfunction in ME/CFS that is being funded by the MEA Ramsay Research Fund
You tube video:
Link to paper on viral infection and mitochondrial dysfunction that was referred to by Karl:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25642965
From the abstract:
"Furthermore, we demonstrate that herpesviruses induce mtDNA stress, which enhances antiviral signalling and type I interferon responses during infection. Our results further demonstrate that mitochondria are central participants in innate immunity, identify mtDNA stress as a cell-intrinsic trigger of antiviral signalling and suggest that cellular monitoring of mtDNA homeostasis cooperates with canonical virus sensing mechanisms to fully engage antiviral innate immunity."
This meeting, which also included the film 'Forgotten Plague' was organised and paid for by the ME Association and OMEGA
The MEA Ramsay Research Fund is the major funder of mitochondrial function research and is funding/has been funding 4 separate studies involving research into mitochondrial dysfunction at:
1 The University of Liverpool (Prof Anne McArdle et al): Abnormalities in Mitochondrial Function in Skeletal Muscle
Employing new technology, this research aims to demonstrate that skeletal muscle mitochondria are dysfunctional and cause the muscle fatigue experienced in ME/CFS:
‘The dysfunctional mitochondria then activate a process which leads to a chronic, low grade inflammation, commonly reported in patients with CFS, which in turn results in further mitochondrial abnormalities and the establishment of a vicious circle of events. Understanding the processes by which muscle fatigue occurs will lead to optimal interventions that break this vicious circle and improve muscle function and wellbeing of individuals.’
Extract taken from: MRC CFS/ME Current Projects
Preliminary results from the study were published in a recent paper: ‘The Role of Cytokines in Muscle Fatigue in Patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome’, The FASEB Journal, April 2015.
The authors recruited 100 untreated patients with CFS and 100 age and sex matched healthy controls, and concluded:
‘…a sub-group of patients with CFS may have low level inflammation and analyses are underway to further characterise other inflammatory markers in serum and muscle of these patients and to determine whether such changes could affect indices of muscle function or central fatigue.’
Lead researcher: Professor Anne McArdle
This research is being jointly funded with the Medical Research Council
RRF investment = £30,000
The University of Newcastle:
2 Dr Sarah Jayne Boulton et al: Comparison of results from a commercial and NHS blood test to assess mitochondrial function
This study will be comparing the results of a commercial blood test for mitochondrial function that has been developed by Dr Sarah Myhill and colleagues with the results from an international and widely accepted test of mitochondrial function which has a long and successful track record in clinical diagnosis and research of muscle disease particularly in the UK.
The aim is to determine the efficacy of each set of tests in relation to ME/CFS. In the exciting case that a synergy between the two diagnostic approaches exists, it is hoped that this preliminary study will promote an investigation into a more inclusive and highly resolved analytical technique for metabolic testing of people with ME/CFS.
Lead researcher: Dr Sarah Jayne Boulton
RRF investment = £21,305
MEA website info: http://www.meassociation.org.uk/201...-further-mitochondrial-research-20-july-2015/
3 Dr Joanna Elson: Patterns of Mitochondrial DNA Variation
This is an 18-month study that began in May 2014 and seeks to determine if patterns of mitochondrial DNA variation in ME/CFS are different than in healthy controls.
At the launch of the initiative, Dr Joanna Elson commented:
“Mitochondria are the powerhouses of the cell, and mitochondrial DNA provides the codes for proteins that are essential for energy production. We want to see if patients with ME/CFS have different patterns of mitochondrial DNA variation that could affect a person’s chances of succumbing to ME/CFS, or act as a barrier to recovery.”
Lead researcher: Dr Joanna Elson
This research is being funded by Action for M.E.
RRF donation = £5,000
Dr Charles Shepherd
Hon Medical Adviser, MEA
You tube video of Dr Karl Morten's presentation at the John Radcliffe (teaching) Hospital, Oxford last week (part of our ME Awareness Week coverage on 11th May) on what mitochondria do (very easy to understand) and the new research study into mitochondrial dysfunction in ME/CFS that is being funded by the MEA Ramsay Research Fund
You tube video:
Link to paper on viral infection and mitochondrial dysfunction that was referred to by Karl:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25642965
From the abstract:
"Furthermore, we demonstrate that herpesviruses induce mtDNA stress, which enhances antiviral signalling and type I interferon responses during infection. Our results further demonstrate that mitochondria are central participants in innate immunity, identify mtDNA stress as a cell-intrinsic trigger of antiviral signalling and suggest that cellular monitoring of mtDNA homeostasis cooperates with canonical virus sensing mechanisms to fully engage antiviral innate immunity."
This meeting, which also included the film 'Forgotten Plague' was organised and paid for by the ME Association and OMEGA
The MEA Ramsay Research Fund is the major funder of mitochondrial function research and is funding/has been funding 4 separate studies involving research into mitochondrial dysfunction at:
1 The University of Liverpool (Prof Anne McArdle et al): Abnormalities in Mitochondrial Function in Skeletal Muscle
Employing new technology, this research aims to demonstrate that skeletal muscle mitochondria are dysfunctional and cause the muscle fatigue experienced in ME/CFS:
‘The dysfunctional mitochondria then activate a process which leads to a chronic, low grade inflammation, commonly reported in patients with CFS, which in turn results in further mitochondrial abnormalities and the establishment of a vicious circle of events. Understanding the processes by which muscle fatigue occurs will lead to optimal interventions that break this vicious circle and improve muscle function and wellbeing of individuals.’
Extract taken from: MRC CFS/ME Current Projects
Preliminary results from the study were published in a recent paper: ‘The Role of Cytokines in Muscle Fatigue in Patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome’, The FASEB Journal, April 2015.
The authors recruited 100 untreated patients with CFS and 100 age and sex matched healthy controls, and concluded:
‘…a sub-group of patients with CFS may have low level inflammation and analyses are underway to further characterise other inflammatory markers in serum and muscle of these patients and to determine whether such changes could affect indices of muscle function or central fatigue.’
Lead researcher: Professor Anne McArdle
This research is being jointly funded with the Medical Research Council
RRF investment = £30,000
The University of Newcastle:
2 Dr Sarah Jayne Boulton et al: Comparison of results from a commercial and NHS blood test to assess mitochondrial function
This study will be comparing the results of a commercial blood test for mitochondrial function that has been developed by Dr Sarah Myhill and colleagues with the results from an international and widely accepted test of mitochondrial function which has a long and successful track record in clinical diagnosis and research of muscle disease particularly in the UK.
The aim is to determine the efficacy of each set of tests in relation to ME/CFS. In the exciting case that a synergy between the two diagnostic approaches exists, it is hoped that this preliminary study will promote an investigation into a more inclusive and highly resolved analytical technique for metabolic testing of people with ME/CFS.
Lead researcher: Dr Sarah Jayne Boulton
RRF investment = £21,305
MEA website info: http://www.meassociation.org.uk/201...-further-mitochondrial-research-20-july-2015/
3 Dr Joanna Elson: Patterns of Mitochondrial DNA Variation
This is an 18-month study that began in May 2014 and seeks to determine if patterns of mitochondrial DNA variation in ME/CFS are different than in healthy controls.
At the launch of the initiative, Dr Joanna Elson commented:
“Mitochondria are the powerhouses of the cell, and mitochondrial DNA provides the codes for proteins that are essential for energy production. We want to see if patients with ME/CFS have different patterns of mitochondrial DNA variation that could affect a person’s chances of succumbing to ME/CFS, or act as a barrier to recovery.”
Lead researcher: Dr Joanna Elson
This research is being funded by Action for M.E.
RRF donation = £5,000
Dr Charles Shepherd
Hon Medical Adviser, MEA