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 April 21, 2016 and it was funded until April 20, 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

Scientific Committee

• Professor Modra Murovska, Action Chair
• Dr. Eliana Lacerda, Vice Chair
• Dr. Fernando Estévez-López, WG1 Leader
• Dr. Slobodan Sekulic, WG1 Vice-leader
• Dr. Carmen Scheibenbogen, WG2 Leader
• Dr. Enrica Capelli, WG2 Vice-leader
• Dr. Derek Pheby, WG3 Leader
• Dr. Jerome Authier, WG4 Leader
• Dr. Luis Nacul, WG4 Vice-leader
• Dr. Evelina Shikova-Lekova, WG5 Leader
• Dr. Lorenzo Lorusso, WG6 Leader
• Professor Anne Marit Mengshoel, WG6 Vice-leader
• Dr. Magdalena Budisteanu, STSM coordinator

Working groups

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)
• 2020, The Development of a Consistent Europe-Wide Approach to Investigating the Economic Impact of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME/CFS): A Report from the European Network on ME/CFS (EUROMENE) - (Full text)
• 2020, Systematic Review of the Epidemiological Burden of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Across Europe: Current Evidence and EUROMENE Research Recommendations for Epidemiology - (Full text)
• 2020, Cytomegalovirus, Epstein-Barr Virus, and Human herpesvirus-6 Infections in Patients With Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome - (Full text)
• 2021, Relationship between cardiopulmonary, mitochondrial and autonomic nervous system function improvement after an individualised activity programme upon Chronic Fatigue Syndrome patients - (Full text)

Online presence

• EUROMENE Website (archived Oct 2021)

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

See myalgic encephalomyelitis.

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.

See chronic fatigue syndrome.

See ME/CFS.

cytomegalovirus (CMV) - A common herpesvirus found in humans. Like other herpesviruses, it is a life-long infection that remains in a latent state inside the human body, until it is 'reactivated' by appropriate conditions. CMV infects between 60% to 70% of adults in industrialized countries and close to 100% in emerging countries. Much is unknown about this virus, although it has been found in salivary glands and myeloid blood cells such as monocytes. It has also been linked to the development of certain cancers. Congenital CMV is a leading infectious cause of deafness, learning disabilities, and intellectual disability. A common treatment for CMV is valganciclovir, commonly known as Valcyte.

mitochondria Important parts of the biological cell, with each mitochondrion encased within a mitochondrial membrane. Mitochondria are best known for their role in energy production, earning them the nickname "the powerhouse of the cell". Mitochondria also participate in the detection of threats and the response to these threats. One of the responses to threats orchestrated by mitochondria is apoptosis, a cell suicide program used by cells when the threat can not be eliminated.

The BMJ (previously the British Medical Journal) is a weekly peer-reviewed medical journal.

BMJ The BMJ (previously the British Medical Journal) is a weekly peer-reviewed medical journal.