Christopher Larrimore

Christopher Larrimore, BS, MS, is an osteopathic medical student at Nova Southeastern University and conducts research examining the hypothesized role of folate in myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME).

Early life and education

Larrimore, who is from Maryland, US, served four years in the US Coast Guard before enrolling in the University of Maryland, where he earned a Bachelor of Science. He next earned a Master in Science from Johns Hopkins University. He next conducted research for two years before beginning medical school at Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine (NSU-KPCOM) at Nova Southeastern University. In 2019, he begins his fourth year of medical school.

Research

On a two-year research fellowship from the Johns Hopkins University, Larrimore investigated blood vessel growth in response to tumor formation.

After matriculation into medical school, he began pursuing ME research on a one-year research fellowship at NSU-KPCOM.

His current ME research examines genetics and a hypothesized role of 5-MTHF (active folate, methylfolate, or Vitamin B9) in people with ME. Methylation is a mechanism central to the functioning of numerous biochemical pathways, including in cardiovascular, neurological, reproductive, energy production and detoxification biochemical systems. If a genetic variant reducing available 5-MTHFR is present, it reduces the body's ability to activate these systems, possibly producing fatigue such as seen in the clinical presentation of ME. To examine this possible link to ME, Larrimore used a genetic database developed by Dr. Nancy Klimas’s team at the NSU Institute of Neuro-Immune Medicine to identify persons with a MTHFR gene mutation and recruit for a small, proof-of-concept study of the role of folate in ME. Over three months in a double-blinded study, subjects took either daily methylfolate supplement or a placebo and outcomes were measured both by serum biomarkers and self-reported symptoms. In July 2019, he was awarded a Blue Ribbon Fellowship from MEAction to continue this project.

Publications

• 2019, Understanding Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and the Emerging Osteopathic Approach: A Narrative Review.

double blinded trial A clinical trial is double blinded if neither the participants nor the researchers know which treatment group they are allocated to until after the results are interpreted. This reduces bias. (Learn more: www.nottingham.ac.uk)

serum The clear yellowish fluid that remains from blood plasma after clotting factors have been removed by clot formation. (Blood plasma is simply blood that has had its blood cells removed.)

myalgic encephalomyelitis (M.E.) - A disease often marked by neurological symptoms, but fatigue is sometimes a symptom as well. Some diagnostic criteria distinguish it from chronic fatigue syndrome, while other diagnostic criteria consider it to be a synonym for chronic fatigue syndrome. A defining characteristic of ME is post-exertional malaise (PEM), or post-exertional neuroimmune exhaustion (PENE), which is a notable exacerbation of symptoms brought on by small exertions. PEM can last for days or weeks. Symptoms can include cognitive impairments, muscle pain (myalgia), trouble remaining upright (orthostatic intolerance), sleep abnormalities, and gastro-intestinal impairments, among others. An estimated 25% of those suffering from ME are housebound or bedbound. The World Health Organization (WHO) classifies ME as a neurological disease.