Invest in ME Newsletter - September 2014

(available in pdf form here)

 

Invest in ME

September 2014 newsletter

published 1/9/2014

IN THIS ISSUE

IiME ADVISORY BOARD
BRMEC5 / IIMEC10

LET'S DO RESEARCH

IIMEC9 Conference DVD SEPTEMBER

IiME BRMEC4 REPORT DOCUMENT

IiME UK GUT MICROBIOTA PROJECT
IiME/UCL Rituximab Trial PROJECT UPDATE
Christmas Cards 2014
European ME Alliance Expands

 

IiME ADVISORY BOARD

As mentioned in last month's newsletter the charity has formed an advisory board of top researchers to help with planning the strategy for future biomedical research and also for other events.

The first advisory board meeting was held on Thursday 28 September 2014 in London.

Together we are working on establishing the correct science to be involved in ME research and on determining ways of using objective methods for identification of cohorts of patients who can be put forward for research.

A number of key areas and possible projects have already been identified. We believe our approach to initiating biomedical research into ME is paying off and feel that the key elements of a correct and productive strategy of research into ME are being, or have been created.

More details

BRMEC5 COLLOQUIUM / IIMEC10 CONFERENCE - 2015

Today we can announce the dates of our 2015 Biomedical Research Colloquium and international ME Conference.

The Biomedical Research into ME Colloquium 5 will take place on 28th May 2015.

The date for IIMEC10 - The 10th Invest in ME International ME Conference 2015 - will be 29th May 2015.

 

Both events will be in London.

It is difficult to believe that the charity is looking at its tenth biomedical research conference. The first conference in 2006 was experimental, organised shortly after Invest in ME became a charity. Our 2007 conference was also an experiment over two days which looked at separate professionals and patients days. But it was from after the 2007 conference that the charity's focus became more organised as we looked at the future and what was required. It was from that point that our intent to coordinate biomedical research across countries began to be formed.

The conferences and, later, the Colloquiums have been generating new research and opportunities for years.  Our conferences have been facilitating discussions and sharing of information between patients, researchers and clinicians for almost 10 years. 

The charity has now put in place the key building blocks to progress ME research with high-quality biomedical research in world class organisations being performed by some of the best researchers.

More details

We are currently fundraising for our Biomedical Research Fund in order for us to make progress on new ideas that have been identified by our advisory board. All research projects are peer-reviewed prior to any final funding decision. Our research funding guidelines can be found here.

We have been working with UEA to attract more medical students (Mres) to join in with the Invest in ME (Research) funded projects and we are delighted to announce that we will have two medical students working on biomedical research projects at UEA - in addition to the existing PhD currently working on the UK Gut Microbiota project. We are also discussing another Mres student position with the university.

IiME are also looking to fund two more PhDs at UEA and the university is helping to make this happen. Certainly our advisory board is playing a crucial role already. The charity is also in discussion with advisors on two very exciting and crucial projects and these are being worked on and we will have available more news of these as soon as we can.

All of our plans are building on our original proposal for a UK Centre of Excellence for ME - see here

IIMEC9 Conference DVD September

The IIMEC9 conference DVD is available and for September for any order for the DVD we will include a printed copy of the BRMEC4/IIMEC9 Report document (see article above) and an IiME wristband.

The DVD can be ordered via this link - click here.

Also in September we are also offering your very own Professor Ldifme bear for £10 - which includes postage and packaging. Professor Ldifme is now gracing research labs around the world and raises the LDIFME flag.

 Read More

 

IiME BRMEC4/REPORT DOCUMENT

We mentioned in last month's newsletter that IiME have produced a report for GPs and healthcare staff showing the extent of current biomedical research into ME which is being performed.

The charity has printed copies available and we are happy to send them to any healthcare professional who may find it useful or to ME support groups. 

Please contact the charity to arrange this - contact us.

In the meantime we are now publishing the copyrighted document on our web site for people to refer to.

The booklet includes a summary by the charity's adviser, Jonathan Edwards, Emeritus Professor of Connective Tissue Medicine at UCL and is available from IiME.

Read More

Invest in ME/UCL Rituximab Trial

Project Update

 

At our advisory board meeting Dr Jo Cambridge gave a presentation on the status of the UK Rituximab Trial project.

 

Dr Cambridge has also produced for IiME an update which are pleased to publish on our web site.

 

We would like to thank everyone for the continued support as we build up a contingency fund for the trial. 

 

The campaign to raise funds has been a truly international event and has involved supporters from all over the world [click here].

If the contingency fund is not required for the trial then it will be added to the Biomedical Research Fund to be used to fund other biomedical research into ME projects.

Newslet link

 

European ME Alliance News

Our Swedish colleagues at RME are hosting a seminar in the autumn in Stockholm.

The subject is ME and Children and is primarily aimed at professionals in health care and schools.

The seminar will be mainly in English. 

Speaking at the seminar will be -

  • Dr. Peter C. Rowe, Johns Hopkins Children's Center, United States Pediatric ME / CFS

  • Dr. Nigel Speight, The University Hospital of North Durham, UK

  • Dr. Amolak S Bansal, Dept. of Immunology, St. Helier Hospital, Carshalton, Surrey. UK

  • Nathalie Gillberg and Camilla Gillberg - patient and parent

More details click here.

 

 

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Invest in ME

UK Registered Charity     

Nr. 1114035

PO BOX 561, Eastleigh, SO50 0GQ

www.investinme.org

      

 

Inquiries: All inquiries to Invest in ME - info@investinme.org

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Support ME Awareness - Invest in ME

September 2014