BRMEC3 Colloquium 2013
The third Invest in ME Research Biomedical Research into ME Colloquium (BRMEC3) took place in London over two days:
1st–2nd June 2013.
Continuing collaboration with the Alison Hunter Memorial Foundation (Australia), it built on the Clinical Autoimmunity Working Group established at BRMEC2 to promote ME awareness, innovation, and biomedical research strategy.
BRMEC3 Colloquium 2012
In May 2013, the Biomedical Research into ME Collaborative meeting was held in London, with 40 researchers from nine countries attending, prior to the IIMEC8 8th International ME Conference.
To raise awareness of ME and promote collaboration, innovation, and a clearer strategy for biomedical research, Invest in ME and the Alison Hunter Memorial Foundation of Australia continued the collaboration established at BRMEC2 in May 2012, which created the Clinical Autoimmunity Working Group that met in London.
To increase collaboration and awareness, and to encourage new researchers into the field, the BRMEC Research Colloquiums are held to bring together leading researchers to share ideas on ME research — a Biomedical Research into ME Collaborative meeting.
BRMEC3 Agenda
| Invest in ME Research BRMEC3 | |
|---|---|
| Welcome and introductions | (Chairs: Dr Ian Gibson/Professor Hugh Perry) |
| Pathogen Discovery and Pathogenesis = CFI | (Professor Mady Hornig) |
| Retroviruses and ME | (Professor Greg Towers) |
| Pathogen Discovery | (Professor Jonas Blomberg) |
| Gut Microbiota and ME | (Professor Simon Carding) |
| Chaired Discussions | (Dr Ian Gibson/Professor Hugh Perry) |
| Experience of Rituximab in ME/CFS and present a case for extending clinical trials as per Norwegian protocols or other parallel trials |
(Dr Oystein Fluge/ Professor Olav Mella) |
| Rituximab in autoimmune diseases | (Dr Jo Cambridge) |
| Update on immunological derangement that may dovetail with the Fluge et al findings. | (Dr Don Staines) |
| Screening NK-, B- and T-cell phenotype and function in patients suffering from ME | (Dr Julià Blanco) |
| Chaired Discussions | (Dr Ian Gibson/Professor Hugh Perry) |
| ANS studies | (Professor Julia Newton) |
| FDA Meeting outcome /Treatment with Vistide | (Dr Dan Peterson) |
| OMI MERIT Strategy | (Dr Andy Kogelnik) |
| Chaired Discussions | (Dr Ian Gibson/Professor Hugh Perry) |
| Funding Possibilities | |
| Ways to Continue Collaboration and Discovery | |
| Chaired Discussions | (Dr Ian Gibson/Professor Hugh Perry) |
| Closing Summary and future directions | (Ian Gibson/Hugh Perry/IIME) |
BRMEC3 Report
A conference report for the IIMEC8 public conference was written by Dr Ros Vallings and included these comments regarding the Colloquium -
I was privileged to attend the 8th IiME conference in London on 31st May 2013.
This conference was preceded by a one day symposium gathering together 34 clinicians and researchers
from a number of countries.
The presentations, brainstorming and discussion will, I am sure, lead to much collaborative research,
sharing of ideas and furtherance of understanding
of this complex and very serious illness.
Prior to the conference IiME and AHMF had organised and hosted the Biomedical Research into ME Collaborative (BRMEC) meeting. This would actually be third such annual meeting organised in London around the conference events (we held a round-table "Corridor Conference" in 2011 and the two-day Clinical Autoimmunity Working Group (CAWG) meeting in 2012. We brought together 40 biomedical researchers from nine different countries to discuss, educate, cooperate and form collaborations in the future - for the benefit of all people with ME and their families.
The meeting was a huge success with many complimentary comments being made by the researchers. The researchers continued to network at the IiME pre-conference dinner in the evening. There were many threads and new initiatives created by this meeting and it justifies IiME's views that biomedical research into ME needs to be the focus of effort and funding if we are to create cures/treatments for this disease.
The charity continued to follow up many of the opportunities created by this meeting.