Biomedical research
Biomedical research is basic medical research on organisms, such as humans or other living things, that helps increase medical knowledge.[1]
The National Institutes of Health's Library of Medicine defines biomedical research as research "conducted to increase fundamental knowledge and understanding of the physical, chemical and functional mechanisms of human life processes and diseases."[2] Other definitions include investigating biological processes and disease in both humans and animals.[3]
Biomedical researchers[edit | edit source]
Given the breadth of the biomedical research field, this can involve a wide range of researchers and types of investigations. A given biomedical research team might include an array of specialists in different fields:
- biomedical scientists
- physicians (medical doctors)
- biochemists
- biologists
- pharmacologists
- nurses
- veterinarians
- lab technicians
- scientists from the different life science fields including chemists and physicists.[3] [1]
Types of research[edit | edit source]
Biomedical research might conduct basic or applied research, lab research or clinical trials, and other kinds of investigations.[3]
ME/CFS[edit | edit source]
Biomedical research funding for ME/CFS has been extremely limited, with a large proportion of funding coming directly from patients and the general public rather than from government health authorities or pharmaceutical companies.[citation needed]
Most research for ME/CFS has been for psychosomatic or psychosocial research, for example the UK's PACE trial cost £5 million and investigated only psychological and behavioral treatments for ME/CFS, with close to £1 million more spent unsuccessfully attempting to prevent the full release of the data collected.[citation needed]
Examples[edit | edit source]
Example of biomedical research for ME/CFS include:
- finding widespread metabolite abnormalities[4][5]
- Brain studies finding neuroinflammation in ME/CFS[4][6][7][5]
- the creation of a test to simulate post-exertional malaise by using salt to test mitochondria responses to biochemical stress in a patient blood sample[8]
- multiple studies finding immune dysregulation including reduced natural killer cell function,[9][10] and cytokine dysregulation[11] elevated numbers of regulatory T cells[12] and increased mast cell populations[13]
- ME/CFS Severely Ill, Big Data Study
- NIH Post-Infectious ME/CFS Study
Clinical research[edit | edit source]
Clinical research differs from biomedical research in that it focuses on patients only, for example clinical trials of different medical treatments have found that some drugs reduce certain symptoms, such as pain, but no drugs tested have been able to directly address the core symptoms of ME/CFS.[citation needed]
Funding[edit | edit source]
See also[edit | edit source]
- Biomedical Research into ME Colloquium
- Research bias in ME/CFS
- List of abnormal findings in chronic fatigue syndrome and myalgic encephalomyelitis
- Research terminology (category)
Learn more[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Moini, Jahangir; Moini, Morvarid (April 7, 2017). Fundamentals of U.S. Health Care: An Introduction for Health Professionals. Taylor & Francis. p. 394. ISBN 978-1-317-21676-6.
- ↑ "Biomedical Research - U.S. National Library of Medicine Collection Development Manual". National Institutes of Health. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "What is Biomedical Research?" (PDF). ca-biomed.org. California Biomedical Research Association. February 2018. Retrieved January 29, 2019.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Mueller, Christina; Lin, Joanne C; Sheriff, Sulaiman; Maudsley, Andrew A; Younger, Jarred W (2019). "Evidence of widespread metabolite abnormalities in Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome: assessment with whole-brain magnetic resonance spectroscopy". Brain Imaging and Behavior. doi:10.1007/s11682-018-0029-4. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Brain Imaging and Behavior publication from Dr. Jarred Younger's SMCI Ramsay pilot study supports involvement of neuroinflammation in ME/CFS". go.solvecfs.org. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
- ↑ Nakatomi, Yasuhito; Mizuno, Kei; Ishii, Akira; Wada, Yasuhiro; Tanaka, Masaaki; Tazawa, Shusaku; Onoe, Kayo; Fukuda, Sanae; Kawabe, Joji (June 1, 2014). "Neuroinflammation in Patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis: An 11C-(R)-PK11195 PET Study". Journal of Nuclear Medicine. 55 (6): 945–950. doi:10.2967/jnumed.113.131045. ISSN 0161-5505. PMID 24665088.
- ↑ Zeineh, Michael M; Kang, James; Atlas, Scott W; Raman, Mira M; Reiss, Allan L; Norris, Jane L; Valencia, Ian; Montoya, Jose G (October 29, 2014), "Right Arcuate Fasciculus Abnormality in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome", Radiology, 274 (2): 517–526, doi:10.1148/radiol.14141079
- ↑ Davis, R.W.; Wilhelmy, J.; Nemat-Gorgani, M.; Kashi, A.; Esfandyarpour, R. (April 25, 2019). "A nanoelectronics-blood-based diagnostic biomarker for myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS)". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 116 (21): 10250–10257. doi:10.1073/pnas.1901274116. ISSN 0027-8424. PMID 31036648.
- ↑ Brenu, Ekua Weba; Huth, Teilah K.; Hardcastle, Sharni L.; Fuller, Kirsty; Kaur, Manprit; Johnston, Samantha; Ramos, Sandra B.; Staines, Don R.; Marshall-Gradisnik, Sonya M. (April 2014). "Role of adaptive and innate immune cells in chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis". International Immunology. 26 (4): 233–242. doi:10.1093/intimm/dxt068. ISSN 1460-2377. PMID 24343819.
- ↑ Victoria Scott, David Strayer (2015). "Low NK Cell Activity in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) and Relationship to Symptom Severity". Journal of Clinical & Cellular Immunology. 6 (4). doi:10.4172/2155-9899.1000348. ISSN 2155-9899.
- ↑ Montoya, Jose G.; Holmes, Tyson H.; Anderson, Jill N.; Maecker, Holden T.; Rosenberg-Hasson, Yael; Valencia, Ian J.; Chu, Lily; Younger, Jarred W.; Tato, Cristina M.; Davis, Mark M. (2017), "Cytokine signature associated with disease severity in chronic fatigue syndrome patients", Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 114 (34): E7150-E7158, doi:10.1073/pnas.1710519114
- ↑ Brenu, Ekua Weba; Huth, Teilah K.; Hardcastle, Sharni L.; Fuller, Kirsty; Kaur, Manprit; Johnston, Samantha; Ramos, Sandra B.; Staines, Don R.; Marshall-Gradisnik, Sonya M. (April 2014). "Role of adaptive and innate immune cells in chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis". International Immunology. 26 (4): 233–242. doi:10.1093/intimm/dxt068. ISSN 1460-2377. PMID 24343819.
- ↑ Rönnberg, E; Calounova, G; Pejler, G (June 2017). "Novel characterisation of mast cell phenotypes from peripheral blood mononuclear cells in chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis patients". Asian Pac J Allergy Immunol. 35 (2): 75–81.
