Wilfred de Vega

Wilfred Carlo de Vega, PhD, is a Business Development Specialist at Mitacs, Toronto, Canada. He completed his doctorate in the Department of Cell & Systems Biology at the University of Toronto, Canada, under the supervision of Dr. Patrick McGowan.

Doctorate thesis

• 2018, DNA Methylation Modifications Associated with Glucocorticoid Sensitivity and Clinical Subtypes of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) - De Vega's thesis research, supervised by under the supervision of Dr. Patrick McGowan, examined genome-wide epigenetic changes associated with ME/CFS and how these changes have downstream consequences on stress hormone sensitivity which could potentially relate to clinical subtypes based on symptom severity. His thesis work and ME/CFS research in the McGowan lab were funded by the Solve ME/CFS Initiative, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), and the Falk Medical Research Foundation. (Abstract) (Full Text)

Publications related to ME/CFS

• 2014, DNA Methylation Modifications Associated with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (Full Text)
• 2017, Editorial - The epigenetic landscape of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome: deciphering complex phenotypes (Full Text)
• 2017, Epigenetic modifications and glucocorticoid sensitivity in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) (Full Text)
• 2018, Integration of DNA methylation & health scores identifies subtypes in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (Abstract)
• 2018, Genome-epigenome interactions associated with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (Abstract)

Talks and interviews

• 6 Oct 2016, MillionsMissing Canada Interview of Wilfred de Vega
• 4 May 2018, ME/CFS Canadian Collaborative Team Conference -The Epigenetic Landscape of ME/CFS: Deciphering Complex Phenotypes

Online presence

• PubMed
• LinkedIn

Learn more

• Will de Vega: Man of the Moment in ME Research in Canada! by Jill T for Health Rising
• University of Toronto study offers hope sufferers chronic fatigue syndrome in U of T News

See myalgic encephalomyelitis.

See chronic fatigue syndrome.

an organism's complete set of DNA, including all of its genes

genome an organism's complete set of DNA, including all of its genes

genome an organism's complete set of DNA, including all of its genes

all of the chemical compounds that are not part of the DNA sequence, but are on or attached to DNA as a way to regulate gene activity

epigenome all of the chemical compounds that are not part of the DNA sequence, but are on or attached to DNA as a way to regulate gene activity

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.