New Year – New Funding Award
We want to say a huge thank you to the 49 incredible fundraisers who supported ME Research UK in 2025. A special thank you to Walk for ME for helping make many of these fundraisers possible. We wish all of our supporters, in all capacities, a Happy New Year!
To kick off the year, ME Research UK is delighted to announce that we have awarded funding to an interdisciplinary team of researchers to investigate blood-based markers to aid ME/CFS diagnosis. Led by Prof. Chris Ponting at the University of Edinburgh, the team includes Audrey Ryback, Ava Khamseh and Sjoerd Beentjes from the University of Edinburgh, and Caroline Dalton from Sheffield Hallam University.
The researchers plan to measure levels of over 1000 proteins in blood samples and use machine learning to spot the patterns that distinguish individuals with ME/CFS from those without the disease.
ME Research UK Researcher Circle – Guest blog
The Researcher Circle fulfils the charity’s aim to create an environment to encourage, support, and to facilitate the entrance and retention of early-career researchers in the field of ME/CFS. As part of this, ME Research UK has created a guest blog for members of the Circle to submit a post on a topic related to ME/CFS research.
The first post in the series comes from Yanthe Buntinx, who is a PhD candidate in the Pain in Motion Research Group at Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium, under the supervision of Prof. Jo Nijs and Associate Prof. Andrea Polli, both of whom have received research funding from ME Research UK.
ME Research UK and IACFS/ME virtual poster competition winners
Last year, to mark the 25th anniversary of the charity, ME Research UK sponsored the 2025 IACFS/ME virtual poster competition.
Congratulations to the well-deserved winners Jolien Hendrix and Anne Gardella.
Articles
Autoimmunity in ME/CFS and long COVID
Molecular mimicry is where certain elements of a foreign invader, e.g. a virus, closely resemble elements of human tissues. As a consequence, autoimmunity may occur in which the immune system attacks the body’s own tissues as well as the virus. Researchers analysing blood from individuals with ME/CFS, long COVID, and both, proposed that molecular mimicry is occurring in these conditions.
Other topics explored in January (and December) include senescence (biological ageing) in ME/CFS and long COVID, maladaptive protein-related responses and multi-system dysfunction in ME/CFS, abnormal breathing patterns in ME/CFS, IACFS/ME 2025 conference highlights, and more findings from Leighton Barnden’s group at Griffith University, Australia.
In case you missed it, we also published Our Charity Year in Review, which looks back on ME Research UK activities covering the mission of informing, influencing and investing.
Big Give – A big thank you!
Thank you so much to our Pledgers and to every single donor and supporter who contributed to making last year’s Big Give Christmas Challenge such a huge success. Thanks to your support, we raised a total of £38,339 – and every penny will be invested in ME/CFS research globally.
Walking for change – Alison’s journey
When it comes to fundraising, motivation is everything. For Alison, the inspiration came from a desire to make a real difference for people who live with ME/CFS. She saw how little investment there was in biomedical research and chose ME Research UK because it offered a practical and realistic way to contribute to progress. Read more about Alison’s story.
A resolution that changes lives – Funded places available for 2026 events
Are you or someone you know looking for a resolution this year that can help drive real change? We have a few suggestions:
ME Research UK has places in this year’s Brighton Marathon on Sunday 12th April, and the Cardiff Half-Marathon on Sunday 4th October. Read more about how to get involved.
Movement for Good 2026 – nominate ME Research UK
If you nominated ME Research UK in 2025 – thank you – but be sure to nominate us again this year as the draw starts anew with no 2025 nominations being carried forward. Nominations are free and the more nominations ME Research UK receives the more chance we have to gain a donation in the random draw.
Help us make the breakthrough
We know that, as a subscriber to our newsletter and someone who is interested in our work, you join us in the belief that only robust scientific research is the key to understanding ME/CFS.
Donations from our valued supporters are vital if we are to continue our work to inform, influence and invest in ME/CFS research globally.
