Building a European Strategy of Biomedical Research into ME

The European ME Research Group (EMERG) is a network of European ME researchers and researcher-clinicians who formed to collaborate and share knowledge in research into myalgic encephalomyeltis (ME).

The group is intent on creating a strategy of high-quality, coordinated biomedical research that will allow accumulation of data based on collaboration and sharing of experiences and knowledge. This will assist in expanding the capacity of research in Europe leading to progress in developing a rapid pathway to discovering the cause(s) of, and treatment(s) for, ME.
In addition the group is interested in creating the infrastructure for joint European research into ME.
Part of this approach includes development of Young EMERG - the Young European ME Research Group - a network of young and early career researchers who will form the future base of research expertise in Europe.

The development of new research and the accumulation of shared data based on collaboration and experiences allows more rapid progress in the building of a foundation of fundamental research into ME in Europe.
The lack of funded and sustained biomedical research means that no one country has applied sufficient resources to perform research into ME.

By collaborating across Europe the best talents from the best institutions who are intent on working together can be harnessed, as well as increasing the capacity of research being undertaken.

Researchers from the major European institutes who conduct biomedical research into ME are involved in, and welcome to join EMERG and the group collaborates with clinicians in the sister network European ME Clinicians Council (EMECC) and with European ME national patient groups and charities within the European ME Alliance (EMEA) to provide a powerful combination of high-quality research, clinical expertise and patient participation.

EMERG Research

The idea behind EMERG collaboration is to identify areas of research that form a strategy of planned research.

In EMERG the following research is already occurring or planned:-
In Denmark immunological and mitochondrial research is being performed
In Finland sleep and autonomic studies and genome wide studies are being performed.
In Norway genetics research is being performed as well as metabolomics and a clinical trial. Prospective epidemiological studies are proposed.
In Spain there is research on cell and molecular biology and in Sweden research is in the areas of imaging and biomarker discovery.
In UK a research programme has been established to understand the links between ME and the population of microbes that colonise the gut. A clinical trial will transplant the microbiota from healthy donors into participants with ME. A Centre of Excellence for ME is firmly established and there is research into causes and mechanism of ME.
In Iceland infrastructure for ME research is being set up.
In the Netherlands major funding has been announced that will include many areas for research using biobanks.
As part of the EMERG strategy joint research project between different members have been created and applications for funding have been made.

from Pixabay

Recent/Upcoming Events

Involving EMERG

A summary of recent and planned events in which EMERG will participate.
These included workshops and conferences.
The expertise of EMERG members means that the group can be a powerful influence when research expertise is required to determine correct research strategy into ME is required in Europe.
Part of the remit of EMERG will be to provide a strategy of research for ME in order to uncover treatmens and c auses.

European ME Research Group meets in Cambridge, UK, Read more
The European ME Research Group has formed Young EMERG - a network of young or early career researchers for ME. A meeting will be held on 2 June in Cambridge, UK, with international delegates. Read more
European ME Research Group meets in person for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic and welcomes two new members. Read more
#BRMEC12 - the twelfth International Biomedical Research into ME Colloquium - held in UK by UK charity Invest in ME Research - on 30th May to 1st June 2023 - with chairing and input from EMERG More details here.
#IIMEC15 - the fifteenth ME international conference in UK - on 2nd June 2023 at Hinxton Hall on the Wellcome Genome Campus near Cambridge - will be chaired by Professor Simon Carding, co-chair of EMERG More details here.