Action for M.E. & ME Research UK launch pioneering PhD-level research
June 17, 2022
Action for M.E. and ME Research UK are delighted to announce the launch of a new ground-breaking PhD-level research project in conjunction with King’s College London.
This collaborative initiative has been jointly funded between ME Research UK and Action for M.E. and will be hosted at King’s College London. The new project will be supervised by Dr Alfredo Lacoangeli and will focus on the genetic basis of M.E./CFS. By working collaboratively together, Action for M.E. and ME Research UK seek to help build a secure research base within the UK by encouraging new researchers to choose M.E./CFS as their field of study. The biological abnormalities leading to the development of M.E./CFS are not well understood, but genetics are thought to play an important part. This new project will look at a specific type of genetic variation called Retrotransposon Insertion Polymorphism (RIP).
Both charities are excited by the opportunity to work together and help support this important new research and a PhD student at the start of their career.
Chair and Trustee of ME Research UK, Jonathan Davies, said:
“We believe that future progress in understanding ME/CFS lies in research, and the future of research depends on investing now in scientists at the beginning of their careers. This PhD-level project has met our rigorous funding requirements and we look forward to supporting both the research and the PhD student over the next three years.”
Sonya Chowdhury, Chief Executive of Action for M.E. said:
“For too long M.E. has been poorly funded and deeply misunderstood. Relative to other chronic conditions there is still a huge lack of understanding of the causes, consequences, and cures of M.E. in the scientific community. This exciting development is an important step forwards in identifying a treatment for this debilitating disease and eventually finding a cure."
Action for M.E. are delighted to further announce that details of a second PhD will be published imminently.
