WE&ME is a partner in the world’s largest ME/CFS research project
The WE&ME Foundation is a partner of Sequence ME & Long Covid – the world’s largest long-read whole genome sequencing project on ME/CFS and Long Covid to date. With a planned research volume of around 20 million pounds, the initiative sets a historic milestone in international ME/CFS research. The next phase of research is being supported by the British government and others with 4.75 million pounds.
The aim of the study is to sequence and analyze up to 9,000 genomes from people with ME/CFS and a further 9,000 genomes from people with Long Covid. State-of-the-art long-read sequencing will be used to identify genetic factors that contribute to the development and manifestation of the diseases. In this way, the researchers hope to gain a better understanding of the underlying biological mechanisms and create new starting points for diagnostics and therapies.
The project builds on the findings of the DecodeME study – the largest genetic ME/CFS study worldwide to date. Initial results have already identified genetic correlations in the immune and nervous systems, providing important biological clues to the disease.
Partners in the project include Action for ME, the University of Edinburgh, Oxford Nanopore Technologies and the European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI). The WE&ME Foundation is supporting the project with a donation of £174,414 to fund the next phase of research.
More information on research at Action for ME
Link to GOV.UK
Link to ME Genetics Center of Excellence
