We are writing to you with an urgent call to action. The Trump administration has cut funding for the Center for Solutions for ME/CFS at Columbia University as part of a broader $400 million funding termination at the university. This devastating decision includes the loss of NIH funding for one of the nation’s few Collaborative Research Centers focused on ME/CFS, led by Dr. Ian Lipkin.
The closure of this center is a significant setback for ME/CFS research, which is already critically underfunded relative to disease burden. The research center for ME/CFS was conducting groundbreaking studies, including:
- A longitudinal study tracking symptom severity in ME/CFS patients and controls.
- Research on past exposure to infections using the Department of Defense Serum Repository.
- A genetics study comparing DNA samples from ME/CFS patients to healthy controls.
- #MEAction’s Scientific Director, Jaime Seltzer, commented on the defunding of the ME/CFS Center for Solutions in the Stat News article.
“‘Patients have poured in enormous numbers of hours into giving up their literal blood, sweat and tears to create samples for these research groups to use, because they thought it would help people like them,’ said Jaime Seltzer, scientific director of the group #MEAction. Seltzer has served on several committees for the Columbia Center for Infection and Immunity.”
-STAT Health
This loss comes at a time when research into ME/CFS and Long COVID urgently needs to be expanded, not cut. It is especially discouraging following Congress’ recent 57% cut to Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) funding, which also supports ME/CFS research efforts.
WE NEED YOUR VOICE NOW — TAKE ACTION!
Yes, this is infuriating—but we cannot afford to lose hope. Advocacy is more critical than ever. At #MEAction, we are working swiftly to respond to this crisis while continuing our activism for Medicaid access, Telehealth expansion, and the ME/CFS Research Roadmap. Together, we can fight back, ensuring ME/CFS researchers can continue to do the research that will lead to treatments and cures for people with ME here in the US and around the world.
- Contact your Congressional representatives to demand NIH funding for ME/CFS and explain why it is personally so important to you. Find your members here.
- Share this message widely to raise awareness about what’s at stake for millions of patients worldwide; forward this email, write posts for social media, and share the article in STAT News about these cuts.
Thank you for fighting alongside us during this critical moment. Your advocacy makes all the difference in protecting the future of ME/CFS research and care.
