Warren Tate

Dr Warren P. Tate, CNZM FNZIC FRSNZ MA-PIMBN, is a New Zealand biochemist and Professor of Biochemistry at the University of Otago, New Zealand. Emeritus Prof Warren Tate, though officially retired, is continuing his molecular-level research into myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome at the university. His daughter Katherine was diagnosed with ME/CFS in the early 1990s.

Blood test research

In 2013, Warren Tate and PhD student Angus Mackay received funding from the Lottery Health Research grants to support their search for a diagnostic blood test for ME/CFS.

ME/CFS and Long COVID

In late 2021, Dr Tate and Dr Anna Brooks were been awarded research grants to investigate Long COVID and post-viral ME/CFS, including the immunological and molecular changes that take place in patients.

 "The default position, of course, for clinicians world-wide has been if they can't find out what's going on with the disease, it is parked in the psychological-psychiatric kind of default position ... UK psychiatrist Simon Wessely had postulated patients 'perceived' their symptoms, perceived they had disabilities and so therefore perceived that everything in life was too difficult for them."

Tate said his experience of having a family member afflicted by ME/CFS had made it "quite clear that there was a biological basis."

— Warren Tate, interviewed by Michael Hall, RNZ (2021)

Awards

• 1992, received an International Research Scholar award from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute of the United States — one of only two New Zealanders to receive the award
• 2010, awarded the Rutherford Medal by the Royal Society of New Zealand, the country’s top science honour
• 2011, made a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his services to science
• 2018, awarded the Marsden Medal by the New Zealand Association of Scientists

Notable studies and publications

• 2020, A SWATH-MS analysis of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome peripheral blood mononuclear cell proteomes reveals mitochondrial dysfunction - (Full text)

• 2019, Changes in the transcriptome of circulating immune cells of a New Zealand cohort with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome - (Full text)
• 2019, Current Research Provides Insight into the Biological Basis and Diagnostic Potential for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) - (Full text)
• 2018, A compromised paraventricular nucleus within a dysfunctional hypothalamus: A novel neuroinflammatory paradigm for ME/CFS - (Full text)

Talks and interviews

• Life with ME/CFS, 2015, Professor Tate's personal perspective as a parent of a person with ME and his ME/CFS research.
• Presentation on November 11, 2017, Professor Tate updates ANZMES on his ME/CFS research which is showing promising results.

News and articles

• 2021, Long Covid clinics desperately needed in New Zealand, experts say - New Zealand Herald
• 2021, Is Long Covid a new type of chronic fatigue syndrome?

News articles

• 2020, Covid-19 could lead to an explosion of 'Tapanui flu' cases - Otago Times Daily
• 2018, Set on a quest to treat ME - Otago Times Daily

Online presence

• PubMed
• Researchgate
• Twitter
• Facebook
• Website
• YouTube

See also

• New Zealand
• Anna Brooks

Learn more

• Wikipedia
• University of Otago Profile

See myalgic encephalomyelitis.

See chronic fatigue syndrome.

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.

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.

Associated New Zealand ME Society (ANZMES) - A New Zealand group for myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) patients and their caregivers.

See Associated New Zealand ME Society.