EUROMENE

EUROMENE stands for European ME Network, also called European Network on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. It was started by the Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) Association, an international not-for-profit organization. Funding was approved for four years and may be extended longer upon approval. COST refers to the formation of EUROMENE as COST Action 15111 or CA15111.

The official start date of the organization was 21 April 2016 and is funded until 20 April 2020 unless extension is approved.

Countries
As of spring 2018, the following countries were participating in EUROMENE: Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.

Goals
The following objectives were listed on the memorandum for the implementation of the network:

Research Coordination
 * Develop strategies to collect population-based data on the prevalence of ME/CFS, including standardized procedures with pilot studies in selected locations; develop a geographical mapping of ME/CFS epidemiology involving correlations with other mapped information
 * Promote co-operation and involvement of research groups with an objective to assess potential biomarkers for ME/CFS capable to evaluation of various infections and immunological disorders as causal factors or comorbidities
 * Define a standardized clinical diagnosis for ME/CFS for clinicians and researchers that allows the identification of relatively homogenous sets of patients, who can be studied to identify pathogenesis mechanisms, biomarkers and disease process in a stratified way, as well as to be compared with other researched populations
 * Coordinate efforts to determine the social impact of ME/CFS and to appraise the economic damage from the disease
 * Establish communication links with industrial organisations, especially small/medium-sized enterprise (SMEs), in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and ICT industries in each participating country to develop collaborative research and innovation proposals

Capacity Building
 * Integrate Early Career Investigators (ECI) into network activities, providing optimal diffusion of knowledge and special translational research skills; Demonstrate ME/CFS as a promising field for carrier development in science
 * Foster knowledge exchange on use of synchronised diagnostic criteria and management of research in ME/CFS, -omics and bioinformatics, translational research in ME/CFS by involving relevant stakeholders, interested researchers, ECIs and clinicians, and organizing working groups, seminars, training schools, and Short-Term Scientific Missions (STSMs)
 * Provide update in novel ME/CFS knowledge via short training events with an efficient participant involvement

Management committee
The following are listed as being participants of the COST Action CA15111 / EUROMENE :
 * Chair - Professor Modra Murovska, Riga Stradins University, Riga, Latvia
 * Vice Chair - Dr. Eliana Lacerda, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK

Epidemiology working group
Members
 * Dr. Jesús Castro-Marrero, Vall d'Hebron University Hospital, Barcelona, Spain
 * Dr. Slobodan Sekulic, Medical Faculty Novi Sad, Novi Sad, Serbia
 * Dr. Eliana Lacerda, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK
 * Dr. Fernando Estévez-López, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
 * Dr. Nuno Sepulveda, Centre of Statistics and Application of University of Lisbon, Portugal

Substitutes
 * Dr. Maja Vukadinovic, Novi Sad Business School, Novi Sad, Serbia
 * Professor Jordi Miro, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Spain

Participants
 * Inger Johanne Bakken
 * Andrejs Ivanovs
 * Francis Guillemin

Biomarkers working group
Members
 * Professor Carmen Scheibenbogen, Charite, Germany
 * Professor Enrica Capelli, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
 * Professor Modra Murovska, Riga Stradins University, Riga, Latvia
 * Dr. Henrik Nielsen, PrivatHospitalet Danmark, Denmark
 * Professor Thomas Harrer, Universitatsklinikum Erlangen, Germany
 * Professor Jonas Blomberg, Uppsala University, Sweden
 * Professor Jonas Bergquist, Uppsala University, Sweden
 * Professor Svetlana Orlova, RRPCEM, Minsk, Belarus
 * Professor Mira Meeus, Universiteit Antwerpen, Belgium
 * Professor Ivan Brandslund, Vejle, Denmark
 * Professor Evelina Shikova-Lekova, National Center of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases, Bulgaria

Substitutes
 * Dr. Bhupesh Prusty, Julius Maximilian University of Wuerzburg, Germany
 * Dr. Patricia Grabowski, Charite-Universitatsmedizin Berlin, Germany
 * Ms. Santa Rasa, Riga Stradins University, Latvia
 * Ms. Zaiga Nora-Krukle, Riga Stradins University, Latvia;
 * Ms. Helma Freitag, Charite-Universitatsmedizin Berlin, Germany

Participants
 * Professor Elisa Oltra, Universidad Católica de Valencia "San Vicente Mártir", Valencia, Spain
 * Dr. Franziska Sotzny, Charité University Medicine Berlin, Campus Virchow, Berlin, Germany
 * Dr. Jacqueline Cliff, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK
 * Artsiom Shtyrau, Belarus

Socio-economics working group
Members
 * Professor Derek Pheby, Buckinghamshire New University, United Kingdom
 * Dr. Uldis Berkis, Riga Stradins University, Latvia
 * Dr John Cullinan, NUI Galway Discipline of Economics, Ireland
 * Dr. Dominic Trepel, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
 * Professor Jean-Dominique de Korwin, Lorraine University and Nancy University Hospital, France

Substitutes
 * Professor Jonathan Edwards, University College London, UK
 * Dr Julià Blanco, Fundacio Institut Germans trias i Pujol, Spain

Participants
 * Dr. Lara Gitto, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
 * Rachael Hunt
 * Elenka Brenna, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milano, Italy
 * Dr. Xia Wang-Steverding, University of East Anglia, Norwich, U.K.
 * Asja Lunga, Riga Stradins University, Latvia

Clinical research enablers and diagnostic criteria working group
Members
 * Dr. Elin B. Strand, Oslo University Hospital HF CFS/ME Centre, Norway
 * Professor Jerome Authier, Paris Est-Creteil University, France
 * Dr. Magdalena Budisteanu, "Prof. Dr. Alex. Obregia" Clinical Hospital of Psychiatry, Romania
 * Dr. Jose Alegre-Martin, Vall d'Hebron University Hospital, Barcelona, Spain
 * Dr Olli Polo, Unesta Research Center, Tampere, Finland
 * Prof. Giorgos Sakkas, University of Thessaly, Trikala, Greece
 * Dr Ruud Vermeulen, CVS/ME Medisch Centrum, Amsterdam, Netherlands
 * Uros Marusic

Substitutes
 * Dr. Luis Nacul, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK
 * Dr. Ingrid Bergliot Helland, Oslo University Hospital, Norway
 * Professor Angelika Krumina, Riga Stradins University, Latvia
 * Rado Pišot

Working Group on conferences, seminars, training schools, STSMs
Conferences, seminars, training schools
 * Professor Evelina Shikova-Lekova, National Center of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases, Bulgaria

STSM
 * Dr. Els Tobback, (STSM COORDINATION), University Hospital Ghent, Belgium
 * Dr. Carmen Adella Sirbu, Central Military Emergency Hospital, Romania

Working Group on dissemination and exploitation, patient involvement, digitalisation

 * Dr Lorenzo Lorusso, A.O. Mellino Mellini, Italy
 * Professor Anne Marit Mengshoel, University of Oslo, Norway

Notable studies

 * 2017, The European ME/CFS Biomarker Landscape project: an initiative of the European network EUROMENE (Full Text)
 * 2018, Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome – Evidence for an autoimmune disease (Full text)
 * 2018, Prevalence and incidence of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome in Europe—the Euro-epiME study from the European network EUROMENE: a protocol for a systematic review (Full text)
 * 2018, Chronic viral infections in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) (Full text)

Online presence

 * EUROMENE Website

Learn more

 * 2017 - The European ME/CFS Biomarker Landscape project: an initiative of the European network EUROMENE
 * 2015 - Memorandum of Understanding for the implementation of the COST Action “European Network on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome” (EUROMENE) CA15111