Dr Charles Shepherd, Hon. Medical Adviser, ME Association.
This announcement sets out the current situation regarding a major and very ambitious bioresource initiative that involves the ME Biobank and the CFS/ME Research Collaborative (CMRC): The ME/CFS Biomedical Partnership.
The ME Association plays a very active role in both the CMRC (where I represent the MEA on the CMRC Board) and the ME Biobank (where the MEA helped fund the initial feasibility study and since then all the basic running costs amounting to c.£380,000 plus the additional £100,000 investment announced recently). I also chair the Biobank Steering Group.
As explained in the Questions and Answers document, the primary aims of the project are to discover genetic clues as to why some people might develop M.E. and to find biomarkers (abnormalities in the blood) that are relevant to diagnosis, causation and management.
The existing work of the ME Biobank, in collecting and supplying blood samples for all aspects of biomedical research will be considerably expanded if the funding for this new project is granted.
It has already involved extensive consultation with the Medical Research Council (MRC), National Institute of Health Research (NIHR), and representatives of the ME patient community and if funded will continue to do so.
As with all large research projects that involve several research groups, funders and patients, the process of planning, assessment, application and peer review does take time – and this project has been no exception.
The forthcoming workshop, which will involve the key players – MRC, NIHR, independent researchers, members of the CMRC, the ME Biobank, and representatives from the ME patient community – is a very important step forward in the development of this work.
Simon McGrath, members of the CMRC, and Patient Advisory Group, have produced a key document that will help address any questions you might have about the proposed Genome-Wide Association Study (GWAS) and ME Biobank expansion.
The application will be formally submitted to the Medical Research Council and National Institute of Health Research early in the New Year.
Medical Research Council Announcement
The UK CFS/ME Research Collaborative (CMRC) and the CureME research team – UK ME/CFS Biobank – at London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) have collaboratively identified a research proposal that it is seeking to take forward to the Medical Research Council (MRC) and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR).
To enable the researchers to develop a fully informed and competitive proposal, the MRC/NIHR is supporting a workshop to bring together scientists, charities and patients, to provide recommendations to improve the research proposal. Following this workshop, a research application will be submitted to MRC and NIHR for consideration for funding, following peer review.
The ME Association Ramsay Research Fund
We are a national charity working hard to improve the lives of people devastated by an often-misunderstood neurological disease.
We believe biomedical research offers the best hope to people affected by M.E. If you would like to support our investment then please donate to the Ramsay Research Fund.
Just click the image opposite to visit our JustGiving page for single donations, to establish a regular payment or to begin fundraising.
Or why not join the ME Association as a member and be part of our growing community? For a monthly (or annual) subscription you will also receive our exclusive ME Essential magazine.
ME Association Registered Charity Number 801279
from ME Association
https://www.meassociation.org.uk/2019/11/mrc-nihr-workshop-the-me-cfs-biomedical-partnership-genetics-and-biomarkers-07-november-2019/
from https://www.meassociation.org.uk
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