Exciting ME/CFS & Long COVID Research:
Insights from Suzan Jackson, a Writer & Person with ME/CFS
Suzan Jackson is a freelance writer whose work has appeared in many magazines, websites, anthologies, and her blog about living with chronic illness. She has been living with ME/CFS & Lyme disease since 2002.
There is SO much exciting research happening that will benefit both those of us who’ve had ME/CFS for years and newer people just struck down with Long COVID. One source for these new studies is Open Medicine Foundation (OMF), which has been studying ME/CFS for years.
Last year, OMF hired me to do some freelance writing. I read scientific summaries of five of their new research projects and wrote brief, easy-to-understand recaps for patients, their families, and OMF donors. I am happy to now share these summaries with you, each written for laypeople and each presenting some very exciting opportunities for new discoveries about our disease.
Neutrophil Study – this study by Ron Davis and his Stanford colleagues aims to identify neutrophil abnormalities in ME/CFS patients (and yes, don’t worry – my summary at the link explains what neutrophils are!). This study could potentially lead to a new biomarker for ME/CFS.
Post-Exertional Malaise (PEM) – conducted by Dr. David Systrom, the top PEM expert, to better understand the causes and effects of PEM (aka exertion intolerance), a feature unique to ME/CFS that is often the most debilitating part of the disease.
Does ME/CFS Have a Biomolecular Signature? – the aim is to identify a unique combination of biochemical characteristics present only in ME/CFS, perhaps leading to diagnostic tests or treatments.
Does ME/CFS Change Molecularly Throughout a Day? – I’m very excited about this study because we patients know that our ME/CFS is constantly changing, day to day and hour to hour, but no one has studied these changes in such detail before!
Raman Spectrometry-Based Biomarker Discovery for ME/CFS – this study aims to characterize the biochemical signature of ME/CFS, using a specialized kind of testing.
Aren’t these exciting studies? I can’t wait to hear the results! Scientists are really starting to dig into the nitty-gritty details of our disease. In case you missed it, I also helped OMF find families to interview for this excellent article, The Crisis of Sick Children with ME/CFS and Long-COVID, featuring families from our Parents’ group on Facebook.
I think all this new research bodes well for a great year ahead!
If you are also excited about the research being done to benefit the ME/CFS and Long COVID community, please consider donating to OMF today. Your donation supports the ongoing research and helps find effective treatments and a cure. Thank you for your support!
