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Category: News

Insights into Severe ME/CFS: Honoring Severe ME/CFS Awareness Day

The image shows Whitney laying in a bed on a brown pillow, looking directly at the camera. On the right side of his chest, he has a medical tube attached with green tape.

Today, August 8, we unite to honor Severe ME/CFS Awareness Day. This year, we raise awareness through the lens of Whitney Dafoe. Whitney, son of Ron Davis, PhD, and Janet Dafoe, PhD, is an extraordinary soul whose ME/CFS journey has been one of heart-wrenching challenges and remarkable courage.  Since 2004, this disease has tested his limits, […]

Celebrating 2 Years of MERC: Transforming Medical Education for ME/CFS and Long COVID

The image is a collage of three scenes featuring medical professionals. Left: Medical students and professionals in a discussion around a table. Middle: Three doctors smiling and conversing in a hospital environment. Right: A doctor on a couch consulting with two young women in a casual setting, with a world map design on the wall behind them.

  In 2022, we set out to educate healthcare professionals about diagnosing and managing ME/CFS and other chronic complex diseases.   Today, we are thrilled to celebrate the successful completion of the second year of the Medical Education Resource Center (MERC) at Bateman Horne Center, supported by Open Medicine Foundation (OMF). Here is a snapshot of […]

Join Theresa in Building Hope for ME/CFS Research!

The picture shows Erica, wearing glasses and a navy blue patterned dress, smiling and seated on a green plastic chair on a grassy lawn. Next to her, a black dog with a pink collar rests on the ground.

Imagine a life where your everyday dreams suddenly become a distant memory. For Erica, a vibrant young adult diagnosed with ME/CFS at just 14, the journey has been a relentless battle against fatigue, migraines, and cognitive dysfunction. Her aspirations for university, a career, and a family life were dramatically altered. Yet, her unwavering spirit and […]

Groundbreaking Awareness and Fundraising: Physics Girl Livestream’s Incredible Results

Dianna Cowern sitting on a high stool against a solid blue background. She has long blond hair and is smiling, giving a joyful and relaxed vibe.

We are overflowing with gratitude and hope following the incredible live-streaming event hosted by Dianna Cowern (Physics Girl) and her outstanding team. Your engagement and generosity have shattered our expectations. What started as a goal to raise $10,000 turned into a mind-blowing $121,983 fundraiser and still growing! Missed the Live Event? Watch It Now! Dianna’s […]

Join Physics Girl’s Livestream: A Day in the Life with Long COVID and ME/CFS

Dianna Cowern sitting on a high stool against a solid blue background. She has long blond hair and is smiling, giving a joyful and relaxed vibe.

If you are a science enthusiast, you have probably heard of Dianna Cowern, an American science communicator and YouTuber known as Physics Girl, who is living with Long COVID and ME/CFS.  This Saturday (July 6, 2024), Dianna’s team will be live-streaming a day in her life, showcasing what it’s like for her to suffer from […]

Personalized Treatment Trials: Video Update!

On the left side, there's a background composed of hexagonal shapes connected by lines, symbolizing a molecular structure. On the right side is a picture of Chris Armstrong, PhD.

The Heart of the Matter General practitioners (GPs) often trial different treatments with their ME/CFS and Long COVID patients. In partnership with GPs, by studying the outcomes of each treatment, the patient’s lived experience, and the personal history of the patient, the Personalized Treatment Trials project is looking to understand why someone may or may not […]

Watch Now: Fran Haddock’s Candid Interview on ME/CFS!

Fran wearing a white face mask.

Today, we are excited to share an exclusive video interview featuring Fran Haddock, a dedicated advocate for ME/CFS, chronic illness, environmental, and social justice causes. Fran’s profound six-year journey with ME/CFS took a significant turn after a COVID-19 infection, escalating her symptoms to severe. In this candid conversation, Fran shares her path, unveiling the intricate […]

Unlocking New Insights: Food and Saline Infusions in ME/CFS Research

On the left is a picture of Dr. David Fineberg smiling, wearing glasses and a plaid shirt. On the right is a picture of Dr. Christopher Armstrong, also smiling with a light-hearted and approachable demeanor.

The Heart of the Matter Food and saline infusions are both known to have an impact on ME/CFS symptoms. The Melbourne ME/CFS Collaboration is aiming to identify responses to different foods using objective measures, which may also prove useful in future trials. The team will also try to understand the impact of saline infusions to […]

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Microvesicles and viral sequencing
Microvesicles are a type of extracellular vesicle that is released from the cell membrane. Vesicles are small, fluid-filled sacs or vacuoles within the body. Sequencing is a technique used to determine the exact sequence of bases (A, C, G, and T) in a DNA (or viral) molecule.
NMR Metabolomics
NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) is an instrument/tool used to perform metabolic studies, metabolic profiling, and metabolomics in biofluids and tissues for more than 40 years using magnetic fields. There is a very close connection between metabolic measurements and NMR. This connection has flourished because of NMR’s many unique strengths for characterizing complex mixtures’ chemical composition.
Proteomics
The large-scale study of proteins, which are large, complex molecules that are required for structure, function, and regulation of the human body's tissues and organs.
Autoantibodies
Antibodies that react with self-molecules and that occur in healthy individuals and are referred to as natural antibodies or autoantibodies.
Extracellular DNA for viral reactivation and Mitochondrial DNA
exDNA (extracellular DNA), exDNA is often secreted actively and is used to perform several tasks, thereby offering an attractive target or tool for biotechnological, medical, environmental, and general microbiological applications. Viruses are intracellular parasites that rely to a significant extent on the host cell for replication. Viral reactivation occurs when an active replication of the viral genome results in a lytic (degradation of the cell) infection characterized by the release of new progeny (descendant) virus particles.
Immune cell profiling
The immune system has many important regulatory roles in disease development and progression. Given the emergence of effective immune therapies, reliable predictors of response are needed. Immune cell profiling determines response by evaluating immune cell populations from treated and untreated samples. For our purposes, we will evaluate the white blood cell response to the viral infection using a process called “Cytof.”
Leukocyte Genomics
A leukocyte is a colorless cell circulating in the blood and body fluids and is involved in counteracting foreign substances and disease. A genome is all genetic material of an organism. Genomics is a biology field focusing on the structure, function, evolution, mapping, and editing of genomes. Therefore, leukocyte genomics is the study of all genetic material of leukocytes.
Metabolomics
Metabolomics is a way to study metabolism – that is, through measuring amounts of the metabolites (small molecules) produced by our bodies as we convert food into energy and other molecules that our cells need to survive. Metabolomics technology is ‘large-scale,’ meaning that several thousand metabolites can be measured from a single sample of e.g., blood or urine.
Micro RNA
Cells use Micro RNA to control whether a particular gene is making too much, too little or the normal amount of its protein at a particular time.