Medical Research Council

The Medical Research Council (MRC) is a British government organization that funds medical research. The MRC states its research priorities publicly.

CFS/ME Expert Group

• Professor Stephen Holgate - University of Southampton (Chairman)
• Professor Jill Belch - University of Dundee
• Dr Esther Crawley - University of Bristol
• Professor Philip Cowen - University of Oxford
• Professor Malcolm Jackson - University of Liverpool
• Dr Jonathan Kerr - St George’s University of London
• Professor Ian Kimber - University of Manchester
• Professor Hugh Perry - University of Southampton
• Dr Derek Pheby - National CFS/ME Observatory
• Professor Anthony Pinching - Peninsula Medical School
• Dr Charles Shepherd - ME Association
• Sir Peter Spencer - Action for ME
• Professor Peter White - Bart’s and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London

(updated Mar 2019)

Research funded

• FINE trial
• PACE trial

Criticism

The charity ME Research UK has criticized the MRC. The charity Invest in ME Research has also been critical of its support for research into the "behavioral model" of M.E., the amount of ME/CFS funding allocated to the "psychiatric lobby" and the lack of funding allocated to biomedical research by the Medical Research Council. The ME Association, including Dr Charles Shepherd, a member of the MRC CFS/ME Experts Group, have campaigned against several research projects funded by the MRC, including the PACE trial, and the FINE trial.

Public money is being wasted on research that will be of little benefit and may actually be harmful to ME patients. It is about time serious money was spent on the pathology of this devastating illness. — Simon Lawrence, 25% ME Group

Announcements

• 2011, Medical Research Council announces further details on research funding for ME/CFS
• 2014, Encouraging new ideas for CFS/ME research

See also

• UK CFS/ME Collaborative
• Biopsychosocial model

Learn more

• Medical Research Council webpage on CFS/ME
• Medical Research Council website home page

See ME/CFS.

Oxford University a prestigious university located in Oxford, England renowned for its teaching and research in health and medicine

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.

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 myalgic encephalomyelitis.

See chronic fatigue syndrome.

biomedical research basic medical research on organisms, such as humans or other living things, that helps increase medical knowledge. (Learn more: me-pedia.org)