ME Research UK’s support helps secure major EU funding
Professor Simon Carding and Dr Rik Haagmans have each recorded a short video reflecting on the ME Research UK-funded work carried out by their team at the Quadram Institute. They discuss the findings and the wider value of ME Research UK’s support, which helped the researchers develop a focused study, build specialist expertise, strengthen collaborations, and lay the groundwork for larger research opportunities. Crucially, ME Research UK’s initial investment enabled the team to successfully secure major EU Horizon funding of €8 million for a new international project focused on ME/CFS – DISCOVER-ME.
Updates on ME Research UK-funded project in Australia
The team from Griffith University in Australia has recently updated us on the progress of their project using advanced imaging techniques to track changes in the structure and function of the brain over time in ME/CFS. This includes acquiring MRI data and other clinical information from 100 participants. The grant also contributed to the successful completion of a PhD by a student.
“We would like to acknowledge ME Research UK’s invaluable contribution in enabling the acquisition of multi-modal 7-Tesla MRI data, a critical component of our efforts to understand how brain changes occur over time in people with ME/CFS. The outcomes of this research programme are expected to be published over the next three years.”
ISLC-PAIS Conference 2026: ME Research UK–funded projects
Exciting research funded by ME Research UK was showcased at the ISLC-PAIS 2026 conference. Topics included muscle and blood-vessel abnormalities, post-exertional malaise (PEM), cellular waste, gene regulation, fat metabolism, and changes in brain tissue.
This international conference on Post-Acute Infection Syndromes (PAIS) was held in Amsterdam from 26th to 29th August, with ME Research UK attending in person.
ME Research UK-funded research acknowledged at PRIME Symposium 2026
The PRIME International Symposium, a two-day event exploring the latest developments in ME/CFS research, took place in Edinburgh on 28th and 29th September, with ME Research UK attending in person.
On day 1, ME Research UK’s Research Director, Dr David Newton, chaired an open feedback session titled “ME/CFS research: What works, what doesn’t and what to do differently?” On day 2, most of the research presentations acknowledged ME Research UK’s support, including those by Prof. Rob Wüst, Prof. Danny Altmann, Prof. David Price/Prof. Simon Carding, and Prof. Chris Ponting.
Professor Jo Cambridge obituary
All at ME Research UK were very sad to hear of the passing of Prof. Jo Cambridge. Her very active research career in rheumatology included groundbreaking work on arthritis, and latterly research on antibody discovery in ME/CFS, which we were very pleased to help support. Our thoughts are with her family, friends and colleagues, one of whom wrote this lovely tribute in the Guardian.
Symptom Saturday: a weekly look at ME/CFS symptoms
Launched last month, ME Research UK’s weekly Symptom Saturday series continues to explore ME/CFS symptoms in-depth every Saturday, helping people understand the sheer impact of the disease.
Each instalment brings together information on research, clinical guidance, lived experience and management relevant to a core or additional symptom of ME/CFS. We are currently covering fatigue.
As ever, we are interested in hearing about your lived experiences, so please feel free to share your insights on ME/CFS-related fatigue via our survey. So far, we have gathered hundreds of responses related to other core symptoms, such as cognitive dysfunction i.e. brain fog.
Thank you, fundraisers and pledgers!
Thanks to the wonderful support ME Research UK has received, we have a Big Give Pledge Pot of £14,943 available to match-fund donations received during the Christmas Challenge which runs from 1st to 8th December 2026.
Thank you so much to our new fundraisers this month, and to everyone who has supported the charity. We welcome fundraisers Ime Adams and Katherine Orrell. Read their stories.
It is only because of supporters, such as Ime and Katherine, that we can continue to inform, influence, and invest in biomedical research into ME/CFS globally. Without your help, our current projects simply would not be funded. Why not get involved today?
Articles
Epistemic and affective injustice in ME/CFS
A paper, published in the journal ‘Medicine, Healthcare and Philosophy’, explains that people with ME/CFS are harmed not only by the disease itself, but also by the repeated demand to justify and defend their lived experience of the physical illness, and emotionally manage other people’s disbelief.
Other topics explored in September include sleep dysfunction and fatigue in ME/CFS, ME/CFS in adolescence, societal expectations of recovery, language tackling epistemic injustice, and ME/CFS self-management support.
MyCharity Mobile – Support ME Research UK for FREE
We have a new partnership with MyCharity Mobile, which means that if you sign up to a monthly mobile plan, they will donate 15% of your monthly mobile spend to ME Research UK at no extra cost to you. Sign up today and choose us as your designated charity.
Christmas cards now on sale
Our 2026 collection of Christmas cards is now on sale!
There are eight designs available in our online shop, and you can buy them via email, phone or post. Every purchase helps to support our work.
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.
