Announcing OMF's First ME/CFS Clinical Trial!

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Myalgic Encephalomyelitis / Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME / CFS) Post Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome (PTLDS), Fibromyalgia Leading Research. Delivering Hope.Open Medicine Foundation® Canada

Driving research of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis / Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME / CFS),
Post Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome (PTLDS), Fibromyalgia and Long COVID.

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Standing Together on Long COVID Awareness Day: Let’s Make a Difference Together!

A ribbon in three colors: gray, teal, and black. The text beside the ribbon reads International Long COVID Awareness Day.Today, we unite in solidarity to observe Long COVID Awareness Day. This day holds profound significance for countless individuals worldwide. We stand together in spirit and purpose, recognizing the extensive impact of SARS-CoV-2.

This day serves as a beacon in our collective efforts to raise awareness and bolster support for those living with persistent symptoms following COVID-19 infection. Today, we’re proud to highlight OMF supported research addressing the complexities of Long COVID.

 

 

OMF supported Long COVID Research Studies 

from funds generously donated by the Patient-Led Research Fund (PLRF), a project of the Patient-Led Research Collaborative and funded by Balvi Filantropic Fund

 

1. Characterizing Non-restorative Sleep in Post-viral Disease to Advance Intervention Innovations: Harvard Medical School and the Open Medicine Foundation Supported Ronald G. Tompkins Harvard ME/CFS Collaboration

 

We are thrilled to announce that this study has officially started. Led by Janet Mullington, PhD, this project aims to characterize several features of sleep regulation in ME/CFS and Long COVID compared with age and sex matched healthy sleep controls. The study investigates three primary components: 

  • Sleep patterns and how they relate to the body’s natural rhythm (circadian dysfunction)
  • Changes in immune function, specifically looking at a type of molecules called specialized pro-resolving mediators (SPMs) and how they’re affected by sleep problems
  • Brain electrical activity


2. Systems Biology Approaches to Uncovering Disease Mechanism and Drug Repurposing For Long COVID: Massachusetts General Hospital and the Open Medicine Foundation Supported Computational Research Center for Complex Diseases

Led by Wenzhong Xiao, PhD, this project uses deep machine learning and network medicine to analyze clinical information, research findings, and multi-omics data of Long COVID, ME/CFS, and related diseases. The analysis incorporates a collective knowledge-base of drugs, diseases, genes, and symptoms to discover disease gene modules. This project aims to identify potential drugs as candidates for repurposing for these illnesses.

 

3. Multi-omic Approaches to Solve Post-Acute COVID-19/SARS-CoV-2 Syndrome: Université de Montréal and the Open Medicine Foundation-Supported ME/CFS Collaborative Center at CHU Sainte-Justine/Université de Montréal

Led by Alain Moreau, PhD, this project hypothesizes that Long COVID, and ME/CFS after COVID, is the result of a broad molecular-level reorganization occurring primarily at the epigenetic level. The study aims to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying the development of long-term sequelae following a SARS-CoV-2 infection, by looking at 4 specific aims:

  • Global expression profiling of circulating microRNAs
  • Global DNA methylation profiling
  • Global proteomic plasma profiling
  • Global metabolomic plasma and urine profiling.

To learn more about this international study, click here. 

 

We are actively working to raise additional funds to continue these critical studies. We all need this research now, and we need your help today so that millions can return to health tomorrow.

 

 

How You Can Help:

  • Participate in Research: Join OMF StudyME Registry; a recruitment tool to connect individuals interested in participating in research studies with the researchers conducting them. Over 8300 participants joined already! With OMF StudyME, we are helping recruit for Long COVID studies at:
    • University of New England, Australia
    • Bateman Horne Center, Salt Lake City, US
    • Scripps Medical Center, San Diego, US
    • Mt Sinai, New York, US
    • Harvard Medical School: Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, US
    • Stanford University, Stanford, CA
  • Spread the Word: Raise awareness by sharing information about our studies with your network. 
  • Support Our Work: Your donations allow us to continue conducting vital research studies. Consider making a donation today to support our ongoing efforts.
Donate now

Thank you for joining us in our mission to combat Long COVID and ME/CFS and provide hope for a brighter future. Together, we can make a difference. 

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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.
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.
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.