BRMEC13 Colloquium 2023
The thirteenth Invest in ME Research Biomedical Research into ME Colloquium (BRMEC13)—"The Infectious Aetiology of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis"—took place in London over two days: 25th–26th May 2023.
Acknowledging clinical and research consensus on the infectious aetiology of ME/CFS.
The 13th International Biomedical Research into ME Research Colloquium took place
on 26 - 27 June 2024 and
focused
on uncovering the complexities of ME, exploring acute infection, chronic infection, and co-infection.
#BRMEC13 introduced a
collaborative format with sessions led by experts from the European ME Research Group.
These sessions covered various aspects
of ME research, facilitating in-depth discussions on Chronic Infection, Nervous System and Neuroinflammation, Immune System,
Metabolism, Epigenomes and Transcriptomes, Physiology, and Other Non-Infectious Trauma.
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.
| # | Session | Presenter(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 08:50 | Welcome to BRMEC13 - Objectives |
Professor Simon Carding Quadram Institute, UK / European ME Research Group (EMERG) |
| Chronic Infection Aetiology Starter (viral / non viral) |
Session chair: Friðbjörn Sigurdsson Landspitali University Hospital in Rejkjavik, Iceland / European ME Research Group (EMERG) |
|
| How infectious diseases (IDs) together with environmental and genetic factors trigger the onset of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) |
Thomas Vogl Medical University of Vienna, Austria |
|
| Underlying Mechanisms of Long Covid |
David Price Cardiff University School of Medicine, University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, UK |
|
| ME/CFS and Long COVID: NIH STUDY |
Avindra Nath National Institutes of Health (NIH), USA |
|
| Systems biology approaches to study infections in complex diseases |
Tamas Korcsmaros Imperial College London |
|
| Physiology |
Session chair: Jonas Bergquist University of Uppsala, Sweden / EMERG |
|
| Acute and chronic infections in patients with post–infectious syndromes (Post–COVID syndrome, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Lyme disease) : neurocardiological approach using functional diagnostic of autonomic nervous system |
Branislav Milovanović Institute for cardiovascular diseases-Dedinje, Serbia / European ME Research Group (EMERG) |
|
| Insights from Invasive Cardiopulmonary Exercise |
David Systrom Harvard Medical School, USA |
|
| Diagnostic and potential relevance of autoantibodies for fatigue symptoms |
Lutz Schomburg Charité University Hospital, Germany / EMERG |
|
| Dysautonomia, symptoms of ME/CFS and Long Covid. Results from ICOSS |
Markku Partinen University of Helsinki, Finland |
|
| Discussions | Chaired discussion amongst delegates | |
| Nervous System and Neuroinflammation |
Session chair: Jon Brooks University of East Anglia, UK |
|
| Omics and Sex differences in ME/CFS |
Avindra Nath National Institutes of Health (NIH), USA |
|
| Innate immune activation in the whole body and CNS of ME patients using PET/MRI |
Michelle James Stanford University School of Medicine, USA |
|
| Using fMRI and PET imaging to study neuroinflammation in ME |
Michael VanElzakker Harvard Medical School & Massachusetts General Hospital Instructor, Tufts University, USA |
|
| Discussions | Chaired discussion amongst delegates | |
| Metabolism Body and Cell |
Session chair: Rikke Olsen Aarhus Universitet, Denmark / EMERG |
|
| Ancestral allele of DNA polymerase gamma modifies antiviral tolerance |
Yilin Kang Suomalainen-Wartiovaara Group, University of Helsinki, Finland |
|
| Skeletal muscle fatigue and post-exertional malaise in patients with Long-COVID and ME/CFS |
Rob Wüst Vrije University Amsterdam, Netherlands |
|
| Genetic predisposition to metabolic disturbances in individuals severely affected by long-COVID |
Kristoffer Hansen Aarhus Universitet, Denmark |
|
| Discussions | Chaired discussion amongst delegates | |
| BRMEC13 Day 1: Summary and Group Discussion |
Professor Simon Carding Quadram Institute, UK / European ME Research Group (EMERG) |
| # | Session | Presenter(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 08:50 | Welcome and Overview of Day 2 |
Professor Simon Carding Quadram Institute, UK / European ME Research Group (EMERG) |
| Immune System Primary and Secondary |
Session chair: Eva Untersmayr-Elsenhuber Medical University of Vienna, Austria / EMERG |
|
| Regulatory T cells in the brain |
Adrian Liston University of Cambridge, UK |
|
| Microbes, Microbiomes and Immunity in ME/CFS |
Simon Carding Quadram Institute, UK / European ME Research Group (EMERG) |
|
| The Role of Endothelial Dysfunction in ME and long COVID |
Nancy Klimas Nova Southeastern University, USA |
|
| Plasma Proteomics in Response to Exercise |
Maureen Hanson Cornell University, USA |
|
| Stratifying ME/CFS Patients identifies distinct pathophysiological characteristics |
Johanna Rohrhofer Medical University of Vienna, Austria |
|
| Discussions | Chaired discussion amongst delegates | |
| Epigenomes and Transcriptomes |
Session chair: Elisa Oltra Universidad Catolica de Valencia San Vicente Mártir, Spain |
|
| Single cell transcriptomics to reveal the role of thymus in autoimmune diseases, and potential implications for ME/CFS |
Benedicte Lie University of Oslo, Norway |
|
| Single-cell transcriptomics of the immune system in ME/CFS |
Andrew Grimson Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, USA |
|
| Human endogenous retrovirus expression in the immune system of ME/CFS |
Karen Gimenez-Orenga Universidad Catolica de Valencia San Vicente Mártir, Spain |
|
| Discussions | Chaired discussion amongst delegates | |
| Clinical Trials |
Session chair: Jesper Mehlsen Copenhagen University Hospital, Denmark / EMERG |
|
| Phenotyping ME/CFS |
Elizabeth Unger CDC, USA |
|
| Longitudinal Study of ME Patients |
Leonard Jason Chicago De Paul University, USA |
|
| Identifying potential candidates for clinical trials using AI network medicine |
Wenzhong Xiao Harvard Medical School, USA |
|
| tbc | Various Speakers building standards for clinical trials | |
| Discussions | Chaired discussion amongst delegates | |
| Ad-hoc Presentations |
Professor Simon Carding Quadram Institute, UK / European ME Research Group (EMERG) |
|
| Involvement of BH4, NO and Oxidating Stress in ME/CFS |
Professor Ron Davis Stanford School of Medicine in Stanford, California, USA |
|
| Clinical Trial of Rapamycin (tbc) |
Dr . Gunnar Gottschalk Simmaron Research Inc, USA |
|
| tbc | Flash sessions (tbc) | |
| Discussions | Chaired discussion amongst delegates | |
| BRMEC13 Day 2: Summary and Group Discussion | Chaired discussion amongst delegates |
The 13th 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 BRMEC13 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’