A Foundation for Research into ME

Invest in ME Research has funded and facilitated a distinctive, portfolio of biomedical projects that focus on mechanisms, diagnostics, and targeted treatments. The charity prioritises strategic, long-term partnerships while also backing innovative pilot studies that would otherwise struggle to be funded.

Quadram Institute / Norwich Research Park

The bulk of research partnership has been with the Quadram Institute and Norwich Research Park, where a growing programme of work is building a coherent picture of infection, immunity, the microbiome, and energy metabolism in ME.

RESTORE-ME Clinical Trial

RESTORE-ME is a unique UK active clinical trial specifically for ME, testing microbiota replacement therapy (faecal microbiota transplantation) as a potential treatment. This study aims to determine whether carefully screened gut microbiota can safely improve symptoms and quality of life.

Ian Gibson Fellowship (2022– ) – Dr Katharine Seton

This fellowship investigates how the intestinal microbiome, oxidative stress, and premature immune ageing contribute to ME, using state-of-the-art immunology and microbiome analysis to identify disease mechanisms and possible therapeutic targets.

Luna Nova Fellowship (2023– )

The Luna Nova Fellowship extends this work by examining infections, immune insufficiency, and early immune ageing in ME, with particular emphasis on how repeated or unresolved infections might drive a chronic, relapsing illness state.

PhD Studentships (5 funded)

Invest in ME Research has multiple PhD studentships in Norwich and London, covering virology, gut microbiome-based therapies, mitochondrial dysfunction, biomarker discovery, and oxidative stress. Together, these projects have helped to build capacity in ME research and train the next generation of biomedical scientists focused on the disease.

Summer Student Bursaries (ongoing)

The the charity has supported short research placements for early-career scientists, enabling projects on viral communities, molecular diagnostics, bioinformatics, and related topics that feed directly into larger ME studies. These bursaries help bring fresh ideas and new skills into the field.

Foundation Project – First Crowd-Funded PhD

The charity’s research programme began with a landmark crowd-funded PhD project launched in 2013 at the University of East Anglia and the then Institute of Food Research (later Quadram Institute). The “Let’s Do It For ME” campaign helped raise £100,000 in just two years to investigate leaky gut, intestinal microbiota, and viral involvement in ME pathophysiology. This foundation project put the microbiome and gut barrier dysfunction firmly on the ME research agenda and demonstrated what a focused patient-led strategy could achieve.

Planned UK Rituximab Clinical Trial (UCL → Norwich)

Invest in ME Research did not simply “support” rituximab replication – the charity initiated and planned a dedicated UK clinical trial of B-cell depletion therapy for ME, originally set up at University College London and later transferred to Norwich. The trial was halted only after the final Norwegian study results showed no clear benefit from rituximab, demonstrating the charity’s support for and commitment to rigorous, science-led decision-making and to protecting patients from ineffective or unnecessary treatments.

European ME Research Group (EMERG)

The charity was instrumental in creating and supporting the European ME Research Group (EMERG), providing seed funding to establish multi-centre collaborations across the UK and other countries. EMERG brings together clinicians and scientists to investigate ME pathogenesis, harmonise protocols, and design the kind of large, coordinated studies needed to understand a complex, multi-system disease.

“Light ME Up” – Photobiomodulation Feasibility Study

Most recently, Invest in ME Research has funded “Light ME Up”, a feasibility study of red-light photobiomodulation to support mitochondrial function in people with ME. This remote trial, led by Ian Gibson Fellow Dr Katharine Seton at the Quadram Institute, is testing whether daily exposure to red light using special lamps for two minutes over two weeks is acceptable, safe, and potentially beneficial for participants. The study is designed to generate high-quality preliminary data to inform future, larger clinical trials.