Invest in ME International ME Conference

From MEpedia, a crowd-sourced encyclopedia of ME and CFS science and history

The Invest in ME International ME Conference is an annual medical ME/CFS conference for researchers, clinicians and patients. It is organised by the independent UK charity, Invest in ME, and held in London, England. Speakers at the conference typically include researchers and doctors from around the world. The charity sells DVDs of the conference talks after the event has taken place. In parallel with the conference, the charity also organizes the Biomedical Research into ME Colloquium (BMREC), an event for researchers alone to attend.

1st Invest in ME International ME Conference 2006[edit | edit source]

Theme: Initiating ME Research

The Invest in ME Conference 2006 was held on 12nd May 2006.[1]

Speakers[edit | edit source]

Opening Remarks - (Video)
Definitions and Aetiology - The importance of diagnostic criteria - (Video)
Summary of “Key Findings” of past bio‑medical research - (Video)
Children and Education: Incidence, clusters and specific problems of youngsters with M.E. - (Video)
  • Byron Hyde, from Nightingale Research Foundation, Toronto, Canada
The epidemiology, definitions and techniques of investigation of the ME and CFS patient and the resulting pathological findings - (Video)
Viral and Human Gene Expression, development of diagnostic test, news of clinical trials - (Video)
Lipid Neuroscience - an overall picture of (and links to) other treatments/research - (Video)

2nd Invest in ME International ME Conference 2007[edit | edit source]

Theme: Building a Future for Research into ME

The Invest in ME Conference 2007 was held on the 1st and 2nd May 2007.[2]

Speakers - Day 1[edit | edit source]

Key Note Speech - (Video)
Case Study - Epidemiology of ME/CFS
Case Study - Biomedical research (A view of a biomedical research team, how it is funded, what it needs, how it could be improved, what the future research would look like) - (Video)
Treatments for ME/CFS Integrative & Complimentary Medicine - (Video)
  • Annette Whittemore, from Whittemore Peterson Institute for Neuroimmune Diseases, Reno, Nevada, US
A Model ME/CFS Clinic - The CFS Clinic – Reno, Nevada, US - (Video)
  • Daniel Peterson, from Whittemore Peterson Institute for Neuroimmune Diseases, Reno, Nevada, US
Experiences of Research into ME/CFS: Past, Present, and Future - (Video)
Biomedical Research into ME/CFS: where does it go from here - (Video)
Summary of “Key Findings” of past bio‑medical research - (Video)
NICE Guidelines – Experiences from Norway - (Video)
  • Byron Hyde, from Nightingale Research Foundation, Toronto, Canada
ME and Insurance companies - (Video)

Speakers - Day 2[edit | edit source]

Opening Remarks
  • Martin Pall, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, US
Biochemical Underpinnings of ME/CFS - (Video)
Pathology of ME/CFS - (Video)
Biomedical Research into ME/CFS: where does it go from here - (Video)
Treatments and Diagnosis – A GP’s Perspective - (Video)
Treatments for ME/CFS: Integrative & Complimentary Medicine - (Video)
  • Byron Hyde, from Nightingale Research Foundation, Toronto, Canada
ME and Insurance companies - (Video)
Case Study - Biomedical research (A view of a biomedical research team, how it is funded, what it needs, how it could be improved, what the future research would look like) - (Video)
  • Daniel Peterson, from Whittemore Peterson Institute for Neuroimmune Diseases, Reno, Nevada, US
Clinical Research - (Video)
Summary - Future Strategy for ME Research, Diagnosis and Treatment - (Video)

3rd Invest in ME International ME Conference 2008[edit | edit source]

Theme: Sub Grouping and Treatments for ME/CFS

The Invest in ME Conference 2008 was held on 23 May 2008.[3]

Speakers[edit | edit source]

Opening Remarks by Chair
Case Definitions of ME/CFS – including paediatric case definition - (Video)
Gene Expression in ME/CFS: a means of Subtyping - (Video)
Diagnosis and Treatment of ME/CFS - Longitudinal Observations of Cardiac and Antiviral studies - (Video)
Autonomic Dysfunction: Identification of aetiologically distinct subject groups within ME/CFS - (Video)
  • John Chia, Infectious Disease Specialist, Torrance, California, US
Research on the Role of Chronic Enterovirus Infection in CFS/ME - (Video)
A GP’s Experiences of Diagnosis and Treatments of ME/CFS - (Video)
  • Jean Monro, Medical Director of the Breakspear Hospital, UK
Case Studies of Diagnosis and Treatments for ME/CFS - (Video)
  • Judy Mikovits, from Whittemore Peterson Institute for Neuroimmune Diseases, Reno, Nevada, US
How Sub Grouping will affect research strategies - (Video)

4th Invest in ME International ME Conference 2009[edit | edit source]

Theme: Building a Future for Research into ME

The Invest in ME Conference 2009 was held on 29 May 2009.[4]

Speakers[edit | edit source]

Opening Remarks by Chair
  • Annette Whittemore, from Whittemore Peterson Institute for Neuroimmune Diseases, Reno, Nevada, US
Keynote Speech - (Video)
  • Garth Nicolson, from Institute of Molecular Medicine, Laguna Beach, California, US
Similar Infections Found in ME/CFS and Neurodegenerative and Neurobehavioral Diseases - (Video)
  • Harald Nyland, from Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
Epidemics & ME: Lessons from the Giardia epidemic in Norway - (Video)
Severely-affected Sub Groups of ME/CFS
Services for correct diagnosis and Management/Treatment of ME - (Video)
Research on Extremely Debilitated M.E. Patients Reveals the True Nature of the Disorder
  • Daniel Peterson, from Whittemore Peterson Institute for Neuroimmune Diseases, Reno, Nevada, US
Treatment Regimes for the Most Severe Cases
  • Basant Puri, from Imperial College School of Medicine, UK
Neuro-Imaging of ME Patients
  • John Chia, in private practice, Torrance, California, US
Diagnosis and Treatment of chronic enterovirus infection associated with ME/CFS
  • Judy Mikovits, from Whittemore Peterson Institute for Neuroimmune Diseases, Reno, Nevada, US
How Sub Grouping will affect research strategies

5th Invest in ME International ME Conference 2010[edit | edit source]

Theme: A New Era in ME/CFS Research

The Invest in ME Conference 2010 was held on 24 May 2010.[5]

Speakers[edit | edit source]

Opening Remarks by Chair
Key Note Speech:How Case Definitions Can Stigmatize: Implications for Epidemiology, Etiology, and Pathophysiology
Persistent Enteroviral Infections
  • John Chia, in private practice, Torrance, California, US
Enteroviruses in ME/CFS, Diagnosis and Treatment
  • Paul Cheney, from the Cheney Clinic, Ashville, North Carolina, US
Diastolic Dysfunction in ME/CFS: A Cardiac Manifestation of Cellular Energy Defects in ME/CFS
Study of SNPs to determine subtype status in CFS patients
  • Nancy Klimas, from University of Miami, School of Medicine, US
Immunological Biomarkers in ME/CFS
Presence of Retrovirus as a Biomarker for ME/CFS
  • Annette Whittemore, from Whittemore Peterson Institute for Neuroimmune Diseases, Reno, Nevada, US
Future Pathways of Research into ME
  • Judy Mikovits, from Whittemore Peterson Institute for Neuroimmune Diseases, Reno, Nevada, US
Implications of XMRV Research for ME/CFS

6th Invest in ME International ME Conference 2011[edit | edit source]

Theme: Building a Future for Research into ME

The Invest in ME Conference 2011 was held on 20 May 2011.[6]

Speakers[edit | edit source]

Opening Remarks by Chair
  • Annette Whittemore, from Whittemore Peterson Institute for Neuroimmune Diseases, Reno, NV, US
Keynote Speech: Translating ME/CFS Research into Treatments
25 Year Follow-up of ME Patients - (Video)
Keynote Speech: Strategies for ME Research and Collaboration
  • John Chia, Infectious Disease Specialist, Torrance, California, US
Enteroviruses in ME/CFS, Diagnosis and Treatment
Purinergic signalling and CNS disorders
Cerebrospinal Biomarkers for ME/CFS
  • Simon Carding, from University of East Anglia, UK and Institute of Food Research, Norwich Research Park, UK
UK Research: Genome Sequencing, Virology & Immunology for ME/CFS
  • Olav Mella, from Haukeland University Hospital,Bergen, Norway
B-cell Depletion Therapy Using Rituximab in ME/CFS - Part I
B-cell Depletion Therapy Using Rituximab in ME/CFS - Part II
Clinical Diagnosis, Treatments and Trials of ME/CFS
  • Judy Mikovits, from Whittemore Peterson Institute for Neuroimmune Diseases, Reno, Nevada, US
Implications of XMRV Research for ME/CFS
XMRV Results from Germany

7th Invest in ME International ME Conference 2012[edit | edit source]

Theme: Autoimmunity and ME

The Invest in ME Conference 2012 was held on 1 June 2012.[7]

Speakers[edit | edit source]

Opening Remarks by Chair
Key Note Speech: New directions for ME/CFS Research
An Overview of Neuro-inflammation in Chronic Disease
An Overview of Chronic Pain Mechanisms
  • Mario Delgado, from The Institute of Parasitology and Biomedicine, Granada, Spain
Neuropeptides and their role in chronic disease
  • James Baraniuk, from Georgetown University Medical Center, US
  • Olav Mella, from Haukeland University Hospital,Bergen, Norway
B-cell Depletion Therapy Using Rituximab in ME/CFS - Part I
B-cell Depletion Therapy Using Rituximab in ME/CFS - Part II
Clinical Research Update 2012
One Year Experience of a Standardised Team-based Assessment of Suspected ME/CFS Patients
Strategies for ME Research and Collaboration

8th Invest in ME International ME Conference 2013[edit | edit source]

Theme: Mainstreaming ME Research

The Invest in ME Conference 2013 was held on 31 May 2013.[8] The BMREC (for researchers) was held on the 30 May 2013.[9]

Speakers[edit | edit source]

Opening Remarks by Chair
Key Note Speech: The Mainstreaming of ME Research
Key Note Speech: Strategies for ME Research and Collaboration
The Role of the Brain and ME
Retroviruses and ME
Govt NHS Reforms: Implications for long term chronic conditions such as ME – for GPs and Patients
Immunological Basis of ME
  • Simon Carding, from Institute of Food Research, Norwich Research Park, UK
  • Donald Staines, from Gold Coast Public Health Unit, Australia
  • Olav Mella, from Haukeland University Hospital,Bergen, Norway
B-cell Depletion Therapy Using Rituximab in ME/CFS - Part I
B-cell Depletion Therapy Using Rituximab in ME/CFS - Part II
Clinical immunology and research on B cell abnormalities in ME
IIMEC8 Pre-conference dinner speech

9th Invest in ME International ME Conference 2014[edit | edit source]

Theme: Synergising Research into ME

The Invest in ME 2014 conference was held on 30 May 2014. The BMREC (for researchers) was held on the 27 & May 28, 2014.[10] (BRMEC Research Colloqium report)

Speakers[edit | edit source]

  • Ian Gibson, previously British Member of Parliament
Opening Remarks by Chair - (Video)
Keynote Speech


10th Invest in ME International ME Conference 2015[edit | edit source]

Theme: Agents for Change

The Invest in ME 2015 conference was held on 29 May 2015. The BMREC (for researchers) was held on the 27 and May 28, 2015.[11]

Speakers[edit | edit source]

Opening Remarks from Chair
  • Ian Charles, Director National Institute of Food Research, Norwich, UK
Keynote Speech - Solving ME: What a Research Park Has to Offer in Resolving a Chronic Disease
Markers of Immunity and Metabolism in ME/CFS
Proteomics in ME/CFS
  • Amolak Bansal, from Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust, Surrey, UK
Diagnosis and Differential Diagnosis: Combining clinic and research
  • Luis Nacul, from London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, UK
Incidence and Prevalence of ME
  • Sonya Marshall-Gradisnik, from Griffith University, Queensland, Australia
  • Simon Carding, from Institute of Food Research, Norwich Research Park, UK
  • The Next Generation, PhD and Students Funded by Invest in ME
  • Jo Cambridge, from University College London, London, England, UK
B-cell biology and ME/CFS
Immune-Brain Communication and Relationship to Inflammation
  • John Chia, in private practice, Torrance, California, US
ME and Chronic Enterovirus Infection: An Update on pathogenesis
Molecular markers before/after exercise /Activity guidelines to avoid symptom flares
  • Olav Mella, from Haukeland University Hospital,Bergen, Norway
Multi-centre Rituximab Clinical Trial for ME/CFS

Articles[edit | edit source]


11th Invest in ME International ME Conference 2016[edit | edit source]

Theme: A New Decade of Invest in ME - Research

The Invest in ME Conference 2016 was held on 3 Jun 2016. The BMREC (for researchers) was held on the 1 & 2 June 2016.[12]

Speakers[edit | edit source]

Opening Remarks - 10 years – Looking Back, Looking Forward
Keynote Speaker - A New Research Initiative into ME at NIH
  • Olli Polo, in private practice, Tampere, Finland
Clinical Diagnosis of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis
Autoantibodies to adrenergic and acetylcholine receptors in CFS/ME
  • Jo Cambridge, from University College London, London, England
Immunoregulation in patients with ME
  • Tom Wileman, from University of East Anglia, Norfolk, England
Gut Virome in ME
Update from NCNED: Receptor identification and intracellular signalling
  • Simon Carding, from Institute of Food Research, Norwich Research Park, UK
The European ME Research Group (EMERG)
Pathogen Discovery in ME
The Search for Biomarkers for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis
Molecular Biomarkers of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis
Exercise testing and Orthostatic Tachycardia - (Video)
Big Data Approach: Severely Ill ME Patient Cohort
Pre-Conference Dinner Speaker

Articles[edit | edit source]


12th Invest in ME International ME Conference 2017[edit | edit source]

Theme: Centres of Excellence for ME

The Invest in ME Conference 2017 will be held on 2 Jun 2017. The BMREC (for researchers) will be held on the 31st May and 1st June 2017.[13]

Speakers[edit | edit source]

Opening Remarks - Welcome to #IIMEC12
  • Ian Charles, Director National Institute of Food Research, Norwich, UK
Opening Keynote Speech - A Centre of Excellence for ME - (Video)
Keynote Speaker - NIH Research into ME - (Video)
Dysregulation of Transient Receptor Potential (TRP) ion channels and calcium in natural killer cells in CFS/ME patients - (Video)
Genetic Signature Study - (Video)
Studies of NK cells and cytotoxic T-cells in ME-patients from one Swedish and one Norwegian cohort - (Video)
Immunoregulation in patients with ME
  • Simon Carding, Institute of Food Research, Norwich Research Park, UK
Panel Discussion led by Professor Simon Carding with PhD students from Quadram Institute Biosciences
Gut-metabolome-immune disturbances in ME/CFS subsets
  • Olav Mella, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
Update on the clinical trials RituxME and CycloME
Intense molecular study of well characterised patients to understand the acute phase, perpetuation, and relapse/recovery cycles in ME/CFS
Big Data Approach: Severely ill ME Patient Cohort
Pre-Conference Dinner Speaker - #TearItUp on his analysis of the Pace trial - (Video)

Articles[edit | edit source]


13th Invest in ME International ME Conference 2018[edit | edit source]

Theme: Working Together

The Invest in ME Conference 2018 took place in London on 3 Jun 2018.[14]

Speakers[edit | edit source]

Opening Remarks - Welcome to #IIMEC13
Research Update from CDC
NIH Common Data Elements
Challenges in study design and identification of patients with post-infectious ME
  • Simon Carding, University of East Anglia, UK and Institute of Food Research, Norwich Research Park, UK
Gut Microbiota in ME - Student Panel
  • Peter Johnsen, University Hospital of North Norway, Harstad, Norway
Double blinded, single center, placebo controlled, randomized clinical trial treating ME with FMT
Cellular Energetics
  • Donald Staines, National Centre for Neuroimmunology and Emerging Diseases (NCNED), Griffith University, Queensland, Australia
Emerging TRP pathology: the way forward in pharmacotherapeutics and treatment
Anne Örtegren Memorial Lecture - Mast Cells and ME - (Video)
Parsing heterogeneity in ME/CFS to accelerate discovery of tractable disease phenotypes
Immune Dysregulation in ME/CFS
ME/CFS from a sleep medicine perspective
  • James Baraniuk, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC, US
Cerebrospinal biomakers for ME/CFS
  • Ron Davis, Stanford Genome Technology Center, Palto Alto, California, US
Establishing new mechanistic and diagnostic paradigms for ME/CFS - (Video)
Plenary Session

Articles[edit | edit source]


14th Invest in ME International ME Conference 2019[edit | edit source]

Theme: #InvestinMEresearch

The 14th Invest in ME Conference 2019 took place on 31 May 2019.[15]

Speakers[edit | edit source]

  • Ian Gibson, Former Dean of Biological Sciences, UEA and Former Labour MP for Norwich North
Opening of 14th International ME Conference - IIMEC14 - (Video)
ME Research Update at CDC - (Video)
ME Research Update at National Institutes of Health, US - (Video)
Immune Dysregulation in ME/CFS - (Video)
Fingerprinting Phenotypes of ME/CFS Along the Gut-Immune-Brain Axis - (Video)
Transient receptor potential ion channels in the aetiology and pathomechanism of CFS/ME - (Video)
  • David Andersson, Wolfson Centre for Age-Related Diseases, Kings College London, UK
Pathophysiological Basis of Fibromyalgia - (Video)
  • Jesper Mehlsen, Wolfson Centre for Age-Related Diseases, Kings College London, UK
Characteristics and Pathophysiological Changes in a Large Cohort of Danish ME-patients - (Video)
  • Stuart Bevan, Professor of Pharmacology at the Wolfson Centre for Age Related Disease, Kings College London, UK
Anne Örtegren Memorial Lecture - Pain and ME/CFS - (Video)
  • Simon Carding, University of East Anglia, UK and Institute of Food Research, Norwich Research Park, UK
ME Research Developments at Quadram Institute - (Video)
Rituximab in ME/CFS: a randomised, double-blind and placebo-controlled trial - (Video)
Metabolic profiling and associations to clinical data in ME - (Video)
Integrative Medicine Approach to Treatment of ME - (Video)
  • Ronald Tompkins, Director of the Center for Surgery, Science and Bioengineering, Massachusetts General Hospital, US
Harvard Plans for Clinical Research into ME/CFS - (Video)
Ongoing study of physiological and fMRI measures before/after symptom provocation by invasive cardiopulmonary exercise testing - (Video)
  • Ronald Davis, Stanford Genome Technology Center, Palto Alto, California, US
Establishing new mechanistic and diagnostic paradigms for ME/CFS - (Video)

Articles[edit | edit source]

  • Conference Report - 14th Invest in ME Research International ME Conference from Dr Rosamund Vallings (Auckland, New Zealand) - (Report)

Conference Websites[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]