Welcome to ME Research UK
ME Research UK is a national UK charity funding biomedical research into Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (also known as ME/CFS). Our principal aim is to commission and fund high-quality scientific (biomedical) investigation into the causes, consequences and treatment of ME, but we also have a mission to ‘Energise ME Research’.
Our in-house team is involved in:
- Identifying potentially important biomedical projects,
- Publishing scientific papers on biomedical aspects of the illness,
- Producing high-quality professional reviews and reports,
- Presenting research at meetings and conferences,
- Facilitating research applications by established researchers to grant-awarding bodies.
Recent news
- New Horizons 2008: International Conference on ME/CFS Biomedical Research — Advance Notification
- The New Horizons 2008 conference on ME/CFS biomedical research will take place on Tuesday 6th May 2008 at the Wellcome Trust Conference Centre, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, UK. Hosted and sponsored jointly by ME Research UK and the Irish ME Trust (external link), the full day’s programme will consist primarily of invited keynote lectures, and will be of interest to a wide range of professionals and observers. See a prelimary programme and download a flyer here.
- New project — Identifying gene SNPs
- With funding from ME Research UK, Dr Jonathan Kerr’s group at St George’s University of London will shortly begin the next phase of their work: identifying the key SNPs for each of the 88 genes forming part of their proposed ‘gene signature’ for ME/CFS.
- Christmas card sale
- To make way for our new 2008 range of Christmas cards, we are offering the remaining few packs from last year at a considerably reduced price.
- Review article — Research challenges in ME/CFS
- In an extended essay, Dr Neil Abbot surveys some of the issues and challenges facing biomedical research in ME/CFS. This is an expanded version of an article which appeared in Action for ME’s Interaction magazine in December 2007.
- Scientific article — Inflammation and arterial stiffness
- A scientific article in the current issue of Clinical Science reports the findings of ME Research UK-funded work at the Vascular Diseases Research Unit, University of Dundee. Read the abstract and comment by ME Research UK here.
- New project — Non-invasive structural and functional neuroimaging in ME/CFS
- A study jointly funded by the MRC Clinical Sciences Centre (Imperial College), the charity ME solutions and ME Research UK assessing cerebral structural, biochemical and cognitive neuropsychological changes in ME/CFS has just been announced. Read the background essay here.
- New project — Exercise tolerance in patients diagnosed with ME/CFS
- Read about this new project funded by ME Research UK, looking at the symptoms experienced by ME/CFS patients following exercise.
- New Horizons: International Conference on ME/CFS Biomedical Research
- The ‘New Horizons’ conference on ME/CFS biomedical research — co-sponsored jointly by ME Research UK and the Irish ME Trust was held at the Edinburgh Conference Centre, part of the leafy, disability-friendly campus of Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh on 25th May 2007. The audience of 130 included researchers from around the world, healthcare professionals, representatives from local support groups, and delegates from most of the larger ME/CFS charities in the UK. Read an overview of the day and order a copy of our 2-DVD set of the presentations.
- Gibson Parliamentary Inquiry
- On June 7th, our Chairman made ME Research UK's presentation to the Gibson Parliamentary Inquiry at Westminster. It included evidence on the lack of progress since the UK Chief Medical Officer's report of 2002, specific reasons for lack of progress, and some suggestions about how progress could be made. Read the full report here.