$1 Million Received to Study COVID-19 to ME/CFS
#TripleGivingTuesday Research Update $1 Million Received to Study COVID-19 to ME/CFS Open Medicine Foundation (OMF) is thrilled to announce an anonymous, $1,000,000 grant to fund
The ME/CFS Collaborative Research Center (previously known as the CFS Research Center) at Stanford University was established in 2014 and is part of the Stanford Genome Technology Center. Both centers are directed by Ronald W. Davis, PhD, Professor of Biochemistry and of Genetics at Stanford.
Throughout his career, Dr. Davis has conducted cutting edge, innovative, interdisciplinary research and technology development on cancer, immunology, genetics, infectious disease, novel drug development, and nanofabrication of diagnostic instruments. His emphasis has always been to increase accuracy and decrease cost. He has made significant contributions to research on numerous organisms, including bacteria, yeast, plants and humans.
Dr. Davis was the first to physically map the genome of any organism (1968).
Dr. Davis discovered a simple way to join together DNA from two organisms (“sticky ends”), and was the first to generate a hybrid DNA molecule that could replicate inside of cells (DNA cloning).
He developed most of the technology for the molecular genetics of yeast, which made it the most advanced model for conducting molecular genetics research.
#TripleGivingTuesday Research Update $1 Million Received to Study COVID-19 to ME/CFS Open Medicine Foundation (OMF) is thrilled to announce an anonymous, $1,000,000 grant to fund
An Announcement from Ron Davis, PhD, Professor of Biochemistry and Genetics at Stanford University, Director of the OMF Scientific Advisory Board and Director of the
“We are doing everything we can to continue progress on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis / Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME / CFS) during this time when we can’t go into the lab.
The goal of this study was to extend the Severely ill Patient Study and conduct a comprehensive “Big Data” analysis on ME/CFS patients and their families.
The study’s objective was to establish the role of T cells and the immune system in ME/CFS by examining the genetic material in T cells — immune cells that identify and kill infected cells.
The goal of the Severely ill Patient Study was to conduct a comprehensive “Big Data” analysis on severely ill ME/CFS patients in order to begin an exploration to find the molecular basis of ME/CFS.
The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis developed by Dr. Phair that a crucial component of metabolism in ME/CFS patients appears to be “trapped” in an unhealthy state.
Developing Blood-Based Diagnostic
and Drug Screening Technology
This technology demonstrates a significant difference between ME / CFS patients and healthy controls.
This could be a very inexpensive and effective diagnostic test for ME/CFS.
This work has been accepted for publication in Clinical Hemorheology and Microcirculation and also has been accepted as an abstract for the American Society of Hematology 60th Annual Meeting.
The technology will be optimized for easy clinical adoption and scaled up so that numerous FDA-approved drugs can be simultaneously screened as potential treatments.
Director
Ronald W. Davis, PhD, Professor of Biochemistry and Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine; Director, Stanford Genome Technology Center; Director, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Research Center at Stanford University; Chair, Open Medicine Foundation ME/CFS Scientific Advisory Board.
Collaborative Research Center / Stanford Genome Technology Center
Robert Phair, PhD
Wenzhong Xiao, PhD
Mohsen Nemat-Gorgani, PhD
Peidong Shen, PhD
Laurel Crosby, PhD
Michael Jensen
Fereshteh Jahaniani, PhD
Gozde Durmus, PhD
Julie Wilhelmy
Alex Kashi
Anand Ramasubramanian, PhD
Amit Saha, PhD
Layla Cervantes
Ami Mac, MD
David Kaufman, MD
Bela Chheda, MD
Chris Armstrong, PhD
Katrina Hong
Anna Okumu
Ashley Haugen
Collaborators
Juan Santiago, PhD
Eric Shaqfeh, PhD
Mark M. Davis, PhD
Michael Sikora
Mike Snyder, PhD
Craig Heller, PhD
Lars Steinmetz, PhD
Jonas Bergquist, MD, PhD
Rahim Esfandyarpour, PhD
Ron Tompkins, MD, ScD
Curt Scharfe, MD
Robert Naviaux, MD, PhD
William Robinson, MD
Lucinda Bateman, MD
Jennifer Frankovich, MD
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Averting a second pandemic:
Open Medicine Foundation leads groundbreaking international study of
Long COVID’s conversion to ME/CFS
AGOURA HILLS, CALIF. — Open Medicine Foundation (OMF) is leading a large-scale international collaborative study investigating the potential conversion of Post-Acute Sequelae SARS-CoV-2 infection — more commonly known as Long COVID or Post-COVID Syndrome — to Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS), a chronic, life-altering disease with no known cause, diagnostic test or FDA approved treatments available.
Up to 2.5 million people in the U.S. alone suffer from ME/CFS; the COVID-19 pandemic could at least double that number. An estimated 35 percent of Americans who had COVID-19 have failed to fully recover several months after infection, prompting many to call it “a potential second pandemic.”
OMF recognized a familiar health crisis emerging, one with eerie similarities to ME/CFS. This crisis presented a unique opportunity to understand how a viral infection — in this case COVID-19 — may develop into ME/CFS in some patients. The goal is to find targeted treatments for ME/CFS patients and ultimately prevent its onset in people infected with SARS-CoV-2 or other infections.
The federal government is only now investing in Post-COVID research, with no focus on its connection to ME/CFS. OMF has already engaged researchers for the largest-scale study of its kind, solely supported by private donors who have contributed over one million dollars to date. When fully funded, the five million dollar, three-year study will be conducted across the globe at OMF funded Collaborative Research Centers, led by some of the world’s top researchers and ME/CFS experts.
BACKGROUND
In a significant percentage of patients, infections preceded their development of ME/CFS. For example, according to the CDC about one in ten infected with Epstein-Barr virus, Ross River virus, or Coxiella burnetti develop symptoms that meet the criteria for ME/CFS.
THE STUDY
The ability to follow the development of ME/CFS from a known viral infection is unprecedented to date and crucial to researchers’ understanding of the disease. The focus of this study is to find the biological differences between persons returning to good health after COVID-19 and persons who remained ill more than six months after infection and developed ME/CFS. Understanding these alterations in key pathways can lead to groundbreaking discoveries including new biomarkers, drug targets, and prevention and treatment strategies.
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About Open Medicine Foundation
Established in 2012, Open Medicine Foundation leads the largest, concerted worldwide nonprofit effort to diagnose, treat, and prevent ME/CFS and related chronic, complex diseases such as Post Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, and Post COVID. OMF adds urgency to the search for answers by driving transformational philanthropy into global research. We have raised over $28 Million from private donors and facilitated and funded the establishment of five prestigious ME/CFS Collaborative Research Centers around the world. To learn more, visit www.omf.ngo.
CONTACT:
Heather Ah San
Development and Communications Manager
1-650-242-8669