UK CFS/ME Research Collaborative

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The UK CFS/ME Research Collaborative (CMRC) is a group of researchers and ME/CFS patient groups in the UK. It is led by Professor Stephen Holgate.[1] Its launch in 2013 was covered by the Science Media Centre.[2]

Membership is open to researchers, health care professionals, charities and patients. Associate membership is free, enabling patients to receive updates & take part in sessions at the conference.[3] Patient groups represented include the ME Association, ME Research UK, Action for ME and the Association of Young People with ME.

A number of patient groups and charities have declined to join. These include Invest in ME, Tymes Trust, and the 25 Percent ME Group.

Aims[edit | edit source]

The collaborative was set up with the intention of:

  • providing a mechanism for M.E. charities, researchers and clinicians to work together in a coordinated and collaborative way,
  • increasing awareness of M.E. within the research community,
  • highlighting priorities for research funding to assist funders such as the Medical Research Council
  • increasing funding for M.E. research.

The Grand Challenge[edit | edit source]

The Grand Challenge is a UK study announced in 2015 and aiming to collect a large sample size (10,000+) of data from people with M.E.

Criticism[edit | edit source]

The collaborative has been criticised for not using post-exertional malaise as a mandatory symptom in research.[4][5][6][7] Invest in ME compared the Collaborative unfavourably with their own Invest in ME International ME Conference,[8] whilst the Tymes Trust raised issues about rules on debating controversial issues.[9]

The 25 Percent ME Group stated in declining membership, "It is wholly unacceptable for people with chronic fatigue and mental health issues to be included in research for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis and for people with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis to be used for Chronic fatigue research."[10]

The involvement of the Science Media Centre has also been questioned. See Science Media Centre: Criticism.

Conferences[edit | edit source]

4th Annual Conference - 2017[edit | edit source]

The 2017 conference was held at Future Inns Cabot Circus, Bond St South, Bristol, England on Wednesday 13 and Thursday 14 September 2017.

2017 Speakers - Day 1[edit | edit source]

2017 Speakers - Day 2[edit | edit source]


3rd Annual Conference - 2016[edit | edit source]

The 2016 conference was held at the Novotel Hotel, Newcastle upon Tyne, England on Wednesday 28 and Thursday 29 September 2016.

2016 Speakers[edit | edit source]

2016 Conference Reports & Video[edit | edit source]

The 2016 UK CFS/ME Research Collaborative was held 28-29 September 2016.

REPORT by: STEPHEN HOLGATE - 16 pages
ABBREVIATED CONFERENCE REPORT - 33 pages
FULL CONFERENCE REPORT - 92 pages

2nd Annual Conference - 2015[edit | edit source]

The 2015 UK CFS/ME Research Collaborative was held 13-14 Oct 2015. Link to the full 44 page conference report.

1st Annual Conference - 2014[edit | edit source]

2014 Speakers[edit | edit source]

  • Prof Stephen Holgate - Welcome and Taking collaboration forward: next steps
  • Prof Robert Dantzer - Anne Faulkner Lecture: The neuroimmune basis of fatigue
  • Dr Neil Harrison - Interferon-alpha rapidly changes brain microstructure
  • Alice Russell - Interferon-alpha induced persistent fatigue
  • Dr Lisa Blundell - Blood cytokine concentrations in CFS: a systematic review
  • Kate Earl - Resveratrol treatment on TNF-induced cytokine release
  • Dr Stuart Watson - Understanding the pathogenesis of autonomic dysfunction in CFS and its relationship with cognitive impairment
  • Prof Wan-Fai Ng - Biological fingerprints of fatigue
  • Prof Carmine Pariante - Inflammation and fatigue: is it different from depression?
  • Dr Sue Wilson - Sleep and CFS/ME
  • Prof Anne McArdle - Mitochondrial function and cytokine production in skeletal muscle of patients with CFS/ME
  • Dr Esther Crawley - The epidemiology of CFS/ME in adolescence
  • Prof Peter White - PACE: A trial & tribulations
  • Prof Andrew Lloyd - Acute infection & post-infective fatigue as a model for CFS
  • Prof Ian Lipkin - Microbiology & immunology of CFS/ME and other challenging disorders
  • Prof Maria Fitzgerald - Understanding pain mechanism in children and adolescents
  • Prof Jon Tobias - The epidemiology of adolescent CFS and chronic widespread pain
  • Dr Roberto Nuevo - Recovery and persistence from CFS/ME in adolescents
  • Prof Hugh Perry - End of conference summary

Minutes[edit | edit source]

Executive Board - 2017[edit | edit source]

Online presence[edit | edit source]

Learn more[edit | edit source]

See also[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]