A new approach to find biomarkers in (CFS/ME) by single-cell Raman micro-spectroscopy, 2018, Morten et al

Karl Morten works/specialises in Mitochondria at Oxford Uni. Is Cara Tomas the PhD student working with Julia Newton in Newcastle.

People with PKU are very severely affected. They have poor brain function and reduced life span. This condition is the reason that babies have a heel prick test a few days after birth. If they have PKU, then a low phenylalanine (an amino acid) diet in childhood can prevent/minimise abnormalities in neural development.
So does that mean there is the possibility that ME patients could be tested in the same way that baby's heal prick test is done?
Hopefully that would mean that all ME patients including bed bound patients could be screened?
 
I think I took 1g or so, over the day. That wouldn't be enough? So what range would be a dose, do you know?

That sounds about what I'm taking, @Inara -- but I also take selenium and B vitamins with it, because I want it for dopamine production. In fact, I had to up my B vitamin dose after starting to take tyrosine.

Less hand-shakiness and fewer times my knee gives out and I just must sit. Selenium is a weird and wild supplement, tho, so I'd look it up and consider its many effects before deciding to take. It does sit on the immune system a bit, apparently; and it's involved in the activation of clock genes, so at least I, personally, can't take it any time but first thing in the morning. We're in danger of veering off topic, tho, so if you want to know more about my experience w/it, pls PM me @Inara. :)
 
Merged thread

MEA Research Summary: The search for biomarkers in ME/CFS using Raman spectroscopy | 06 September 2018


https://www.meassociation.org.uk/20...s-using-raman-spectroscopy-06-september-2018/

Charlotte Stephens, ME Association, 06 September, 2018.

This is a new pilot study funded by the ME Association Ramsay Research Fund that introduced a relatively new technique and provided for some intriguing results.


“It is becoming clear that metabolic/energetic dysfunction plays a role in ME/CFS. More information is required to determine if these differences are driving the illness or are a consequence of having ME/CFS.

“Single Cell Raman Spectroscopy is an exciting new tool which can give a readout on aspects of intracellular metabolism. Live cells/tissue are not required, which if the approach is successful, will be a major benefit in developing a diagnostic test.”

Dr Karl Morten


About the study

Dr Morten and Prof Wei Huang (Department of Engineering) from Oxford University, attempted to link mitochondrial dysfunction and ME/CFS pathogenesis by comparing the ‘fingerprint’ of a cell model containing no mitochondrial DNA (known as ‘ρ0’) to the ‘fingerprint’ of molecules from the blood cells of ME/CFS patients…
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Merged thread

MEA Research Summary: The search for biomarkers in ME/CFS using Raman spectroscopy | 06 September 2018


https://www.meassociation.org.uk/20...s-using-raman-spectroscopy-06-september-2018/

Charlotte Stephens, ME Association, 06 September, 2018.

This is a new pilot study funded by the ME Association Ramsay Research Fund that introduced a relatively new technique and provided for some intriguing results.


“It is becoming clear that metabolic/energetic dysfunction plays a role in ME/CFS. More information is required to determine if these differences are driving the illness or are a consequence of having ME/CFS.

“Single Cell Raman Spectroscopy is an exciting new tool which can give a readout on aspects of intracellular metabolism. Live cells/tissue are not required, which if the approach is successful, will be a major benefit in developing a diagnostic test.”

Dr Karl Morten


About the study

Dr Morten and Prof Wei Huang (Department of Engineering) from Oxford University, attempted to link mitochondrial dysfunction and ME/CFS pathogenesis by comparing the ‘fingerprint’ of a cell model containing no mitochondrial DNA (known as ‘ρ0’) to the ‘fingerprint’ of molecules from the blood cells of ME/CFS patients…


It’s just a five person pilot study. I can’t get excited. The effort in the uk needs to be ramped up substantially to the levels of Norway and about £1m a year at least invested which could happen if the MRC put up ring fenced funds

I hope after this months CMRC conference, if we are let down miserably again the advocacy effort over here will start to apply serious pressure because we can’t just dawdle along like this with an illness this destructive.
 
Last edited:
This video is really amazing and very exciting to me. Thank you so much Trish for getting this wonderful work out there:)
 
@Trish do you know date or year of this recording. I haven't listened yet but looking forward to it.
Video description says 2011
Dr Gordon Broderick of the University of Alberta discusses how he tracks the severity of both illnesses on a molecular level. He discusses the measurable and characteristic disturbances which he is finding in the immune metabolic functions, the immune cytotoxic functions and the immune cell signaling functions which differ between the afflicted population in his study and the control group. Dr Broderick's fascinating presentation is from the conference "Understanding Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/ME and Gulf War Illness" hosted by Dr Nancy Klimas at the VA Hospital in Miami on March 26, 2011.
 
How good is this study?

A lot has happened since this study was published e.g. the (reversible) fragmentation of mitochondria has been demonstrated (Bhupesh Prusty - NIH Conference last month). On the face of it, this method (RAMAN Spectroscopy) could be assessed against other techniques [SeaHorse, nano-needle, mitochondrial shape ---] to see if it gives accurate diagnosis [fewer false negatives/positives]. I think I read somewhere that this technique could be used to test large numbers of samples; that is a requirement of any large scale testing program. To summarise, this looks like a good news story.

I wonder how the cost of this technique would compare to the others e.g. nano-needle?

ME Action are lobbying for the validation/development of a diagnostic test for ME https://www.meaction.net/…/announcing-millionsmissing-2019…/

@EspeMor @JaimeS
 
A lot has happened since this study was published e.g. the (reversible) fragmentation of mitochondria has been demonstrated (Bhupesh Prusty - NIH Conference last month). On the face of it, this method (RAMAN Spectroscopy) could be assessed against other techniques [SeaHorse, nano-needle, mitochondrial shape ---] to see if it gives accurate diagnosis [fewer false negatives/positives]. I think I read somewhere that this technique could be used to test large numbers of samples; that is a requirement of any large scale testing program. To summarise, this looks like a good news story.

I wonder how the cost of this technique would compare to the others e.g. nano-needle?

ME Action are lobbying for the validation/development of a diagnostic test for ME https://www.meaction.net/…/announcing-millionsmissing-2019…/

@EspeMor @JaimeS

I had a further look at Bhupesh Prusty's presentation at last months NIH Conference [https://videocast.nih.gov/summary.asp?Live=31640&bhcp=1 (starts around 3 hours 5 minutes)]. Bhupesh demonstrated fragmentation of mitocondria in ME. One of Bhupesh's colleagues at the University of Wuerzburg, Germany, Markus Sauer, measured the shape of the mitochondria (using super-resolution microscopy).

I don't think super-resolution microscopy could be used for routine diagnostic testing for ME i.e. to test large numbers of samples. However, as I stated above, I think I've seen a comment that RAMAN spectroscopy testing can be used to analyse large numbers of samples (automated - routine diagnostic testing for ME).

ME Action are lobbying for EU funding for the development of a diagnostic test for ME. So possibly diagnostic testing could be delivered by using super-resolution microscopy to confirm the validity of this RAMAN spectroscopy method.

The EU seems to be funding research on the the use of super-resolution microscopy in medical research; I found this in a brief search online:
"Use of the Hermes Super Resolution microscopy system as an image diagnostic tool to detect and study cancer sample"

https://ec.europa.eu/…/use-hermes-super-resolution-microsco…

@EspeMor @JaimeS
 
Hi, can someone provide a link to the full paper? I think I read that this method is suitable for automation i.e. routine diagnostic testing. However, I can't find the reference - it may be in the full paper. Thanks.
 
Back
Top Bottom