Most of Australia’s medical research funding for ME and CFS comes from the Mason Foundation, who are currently looking at whether they will fund a biobank or a patient registry for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis and/or chronic fatigue syndrome samples. Recently the Mason Foundation updated stakeholders on the decision-making process. This is important because if a biobank
The Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) patient and research communities are delighted the Australian parliament officially recognise the urgent need for biomedical research in the field, passing a motion in the Senate to mark International ME and CFS Awareness Day.
Australia’s National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), the Australian equivalent of the NIH, has announced the establishment of an ME/CFS Advisory Committee to advise NHMRC’s CEO, Professor Anne Kelso, on current needs for research into ME/CFS, as well as clinical guidance on the diagnosis and treatment of the illness.
Scientists in Canberra and Melbourne have just published a study claiming to have found that activin B is a biomarker for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS).
Participants with ME/CFS were recruited using the Canadian Consensus Criteria.
Australian Senator Scott Ludlam asked about the progress of proposals to research ME and CFS and what can be done to educate GPs to prevent harmful treatments.
Researchers from Queensland’s Griffith University recently identified a dysfunctional cell receptor in the immune system of people with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS).
Fifteen people meeting the Fukuda criteria for CFS were studied, against 25 controls. Considering the small size of the study, the results cannot be considered definitive.
An Australian university is trialling a program to train health professionals in administering graded exercise therapy and cognitive behavioural therapy to roll it out nationally and internationally, despite the evidence of harm. Here is the response to a petition to ask them to stop.
The 2011 PACE trial examined the effect of graded exercise therapy and cognitive behavioural therapy against standard medical care, but refused to share their data.
West Australian Alem Matthees filed a UK Freedom of Information Act. The ruling released the data and further examination found glaring problems with the study.
2016 was a big year for ME/CFS advocacy. As we turn over the page to the fresh new year, the #MEAction Network Australia group reflects on some of the highlights of its advocacy efforts in 2016.
One of the frequent complaints of patients, researchers, and policymakers about ME research is that the findings are scattered, and the studies, small. One group will discover X is elevated in 20 ME patients, only to find that when the test is done on another 13 patients two years down the line, they don’t show
