BRMEC12 Colloquium 2022
The 12th International Biomedical Research into ME Research Colloquium took place on 31 May - 1 June 2023.
Developing further insights into mechanisms and complexity of myalgic encephalomyelitis including aspects of long covid research.
ME and Long Covid: Emerging insights in mechanisms and complexity of post-viral fatigue
ME, and more recently Long Covid, place a huge burden in healthcare yet the capacity of research has continually been
restricted by limited funding.
With developments around research into Long Covid and with the similarities of some symptoms to those experienced by people
with ME then this topic was also included as a central component of the agenda and a number of
presentations concerning ME and long covid were given with a focus on the aetiology of the disease.
The knowledge and the road travelled by ME researchers and clinicians is an invaluable aid for understanding long Covid.
Understanding the viral and immunological mechanisms behind both of those conditions is the key to making progress.
The 12th Biomedical Research into ME Colloquium was possibly the best yet of the series of colloquia that were started in 2011, five years after we initiated the international ME conferences.
This year Invest in ME Research started late in preparations, unsure of the response from researchers following easing of covid restrictions. However, the team managed to bring together a good programme of interesting research and used the expertise of the European ME Research Group (EMERG) to chair sessions and bring in new expertise alongside the existing and increasing family of researchers that the charity has developed.
There was more interest from researchers than ever - despite this being our first to meet in person since before the pandemic began - justifying resources used/commitment given to make it work.
This year also, partly as an aid to help social distancing at the events, we used a new venue which had the added benefit of giving greater possibilities to improve and develop international collaboration amongst researchers, one of the charity's continuing and abiding objectives.
In this we feel we were very successful.
Many new collaborations were formed - one of the advantages of focusing efforts on getting the right people together in a productive atmosphere.
Many of these collaborations may not come to fruition for a while but they were, nevertheless, generated by the ability to meet in pleasant surroundings and inspired with the atmosphere of this international meeting.
As one good friend and BRMEC12 delegate commented -
‘the agenda, speakers you chose, networking you encouraged & every detail helped us all meet new collaborators & have more hope that things are getting closer to answers’
Amongst some of the invitations to attend from the charity there was included one to the Norwegian Directorate of Health (Norges Helsedirektoratet). The situation for ME in Norway should be the best in the world but there are continuing issues with flawed policies being promoted.
So, we suggested to one of the EMERG researchers in Norway if we could assist by inviting such an organisation to the Colloquium as our guests to hear of the research that was being conducted and to mix with researchers.
Eventually we had four representatives from helsedirektoratet attending and we hope that this will prove beneficial to all people with ME and their carers in Norway, and ultimately to all patients in Europe.
