Open Medicine Foundation

The Open Medicine Foundation (OMF) is an American non-profit 501(c)(3) organization established in 2012 for the purpose of funding and initiating groundbreaking research into complex chronic illnesses. It supports neuro-immune disease research with a focus on chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), fibromyalgia (FMS), and Chronic Lyme Disease.

The OMF's current project is the End ME/CFS Project.

Many of those involved in OMF, including Executive Director Linda Tannenbaum, either have a neuro-immune disease or have a family member who has a neuro-immune disease.

OMF's strategy is to include highly recognized and accomplished scientists with expertise in body systems linked to neuro-immune diseases. The organization also has an extensive patient network as developed through email newsletter subscriptions.

Stuart Murdoch is Ambassador promoting the OMF's work "through videos and messaging on their social media and websites, personal appearances, and face-to-face interactions with their communities and fans."

ME/CFS Scientific Advisory Board
The advisory board is made up of world-renowned researchers:


 * Dr. Ronald Davis (Scientific Advisory Board Director, and father of Whitney Dafoe)
 * Paul Berg (cellular metabolism, Nobel laureate)
 * Mario Capecchi (genetics, Nobel laureate)
 * Mark Davis (immunology)
 * Craig Heller (exercise physiology)
 * Andreas Kogelnik (OMI founder)
 * Robert Naviaux (virology & cell biology, mitochondrial specialist)
 * Baldomero Olivera (neurobiology & pain)
 * Ronald Tompkins (trauma & metabolism)
 * James Watson (genetics, Nobel laureate)
 * Wenzhong Xiao (computational genomics)
 * David Bell (ME/CFS clinician. See Lyndonville outbreak)
 * Maureen Hanson (cell and molecular biology)
 * Øystein Fluge (oncology)
 * Olav Mella (oncology)

Board
The OMF board comprises:


 * Linda Tannenbaum (Executive Director)
 * Kimberley Hicks (Treasurer)
 * Patti Linsley (Secretary)
 * R.P. Channing (MD)
 * Deborah Rose (MD)
 * H. Kenneth Walker (MD)

Research Projects
The ME/CFS Severely Ill, Big Data Study was announced in May, 2015. The most severely ill ME/CFS patients are being studied to find a diagnostic bio-marker.

In 2016, "Mitochondria Man Gets Money UK Goes Mega Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Research Moves Forward"

Notable research

 * 2016, Metabolic features of chronic fatigue syndrome

Funding
OMF have fund-raised primarily from ME sufferers and community for the research. The National Institutes of Health have not provided funding.

In January 2018 Pineapple fund, a philanthropic project by an early bitcoin investor, donated $1 million to OMF. The anonymous donor was so touched by the outpouring of appreciation from the worldwide ME community that they increased the donation to  $5 million.

In May 2018, OMF received a new $1 million anonymous pledge to escalate Dr. Ronald Davis’s systems biology approach with Robert Phair.

Advocacy
The OMF and the Davis-Dafoe Family held two screenings of Forgotten Plague. Dr. Davis spoke about ME/CFS and research after the screening.

Dr. Davis, along with colleagues, have written and signed open letters in reference to research funds and the PACE trial.

Talks and interviews
Ronald Davis

2017
 * Q&A on ME/CFS Research with Dr. Ron Davis (Mar 7)
 * An Update on ME/CFS Research with Dr. Ronald W. Davis (Feb 21)
 * Scientist Ron Davis Tells How We Are "Fast-Tracking" ME/CFS Research (Feb 3)

2016
 * Getting Answers to ME/CFS Faster through Collaboration and Openness (Dec 13)
 * Short Story of a Family's Struggle with ME/CFS (May 21)

Linda Tannenbaum

2016
 * Episode 79 - Linda Tannenbaum (May 8)

Online presence

 * Website
 * Facebook
 * Twitter
 * YouTube

Learn more

 * What is ME/CFS?