ME/CFS Research Data: the heart of the matter
With your support, Open Medicine Foundation funds open, collaborative research so that, as soon as possible, precise diagnostic tools and life-changing treatments can be available to people with ME/CFS and related chronic, complex diseases such as Post-Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, and Post-COVID Syndrome.
Each OMF funded study is selected, with oversight from our prestigious Scientific Advisory Board, for its ability to provide meaningful data that will fuel the search for treatment and diagnosis. This data is essential to develop diagnostic technologies, understand the molecular basis of the diseases, and uncover effective diagnostic tools and treatments. Because of the contributions from thousands of individuals just like you, over 20 studies have been completed or are underway across five ME/CFS Collaborative Research Centers.
Wenzhong Xiao, PhD, is co-director of The Harvard ME/CFS Collaboration and a world expert in computational genomics. We are thrilled to share this update from Dr. Xiao on his efforts to analyze and integrate the data from OMF funded studies, an essential step in developing diagnostics and treatments.
Wenzhong Xiao, PhD
From the desk of Wenzhong Xiao, PhD
Harvard University
The number of studies of ME/CFS is proliferating. There is an urgent need to conduct computational analysis of the resulting data to uncover the molecular mechanism and identify therapeutic targets of ME/CFS.
Focusing on data from the five OMF funded ME/CFS Collaborative Research Centers, my team strives to understand the molecular mechanism of ME/CFS from the genomic, proteomic, metabolic, and immunologic perspectives.
Sample projects include:
Data Sharing in the OMF ME/CFS Data Center.
- Data is organized and managed in the OMF–funded ME/CFS Data Center. Raw data and processed results are shared with our research network through the web-based data portal.
Multi-omics of invasive cardiopulmonary exercise test (ICPET) of ME/CFS in collaboration with the Harvard Center.
- Post-exertional malaise is a hallmark of ME/CFS, and the iCPET provides a unique opportunity to investigate the molecular mechanism
- Sequence Analysis of Viruses and Other Microbes will be performed on DNA and RNA viruses, bacterial pathogens such as Borrelia, and parasites
Systems biology on the disease mechanisms of ME/CFS
- This project will integrate studies in ME/CFS with studies of other well-known diseases to discover the molecular mechanism and identify therapeutic targets of ME/CFS.
Computational analysis plays an essential role in OMF’s research strategy and The End ME/CFS Project conducted within the ME/CFS Collaborative Research Network. I am honored to be part of an outcomes-focused, transparent, and multi-pronged approach to finding answers for people living with ME/CFS and other chronic, complex diseases.
Please support our cutting-edge, privately funded research strategy and effort to sustain the invaluable work of Dr. Xiao, Dr. Davis, Dr. Tompkins, Dr. Bergquist, Dr. Moreau, Dr. Armstrong, and their talented teams.
With your help, we will keep up the momentum and win this fight!