ME Association trustees have agreed funding of £31,000 for a study aimed at providing objective evidence of post-exertional malaise by looking at the effects of exercise on immune system function and cognitive function. The money will be put up by our Ramsay Research Fund.
Trustees made the decision at their board meeting on Tuesday.
The research will have a degree of overlap with studies we are already supporting in Belgium and Glasgow. In this latest study, the protocol will also involve measurement of VO2max at anaerobic threshold – an aspect of exercise physiology research in ME/CFS that we are keen to pursue.
The study will be recruiting patients who meet Fukuda and Canadian criteria.
The research will be carried out by Dr Amolak Bansal (immunology), Dr Megan Arroll (cognitive function), Dr Dilip Shah (cardiology) and Mr Brian Ford (laboratory immunology) at St Helier Hospital in Surrey.
The MEA Ramsay Research Fund supports biomedical research aimed at discovering the underlying causes of ME/CFS and finding effective forms of treatment. It is currently funding or co-funding the following research projects:
1) ME Biobank (University College London) and Disease Register (New University of Buckingham)
RRF Funding approx £40,000 a year for two years
2) Mitochondrial muscle function study (University of Liverpool)
RRF funding approx. £30,000
3) Sleep management study (University of Northumbria)
RRF funding approx. £15,000
4) Pathophysiological mechanisms involved in causing post-exertional
malaise/fatigue
RRF funding approx. £30,000
More details on all these studies can be found in the Research Section of the
MEA Board of Trustees meeting summary for April:
www.meassociation.org.uk/?p=15359
You can support biomedical research into ME/CFS by donating to the MEA Ramsay Research Fund.
Excellent. Thank you.
Yes this is very good news, some really excellent research. Thank you.