Dr Karl Morten - UK researcher based at Oxford University

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Energetic dysfunction in ME/CFS and relevance to Long Covid. Presentation by Dr Karl Morten (Nuffied Dept of Women's and Reproductive Health)

Code: 
https://youtu.be/taHwS-jX4TQ


 
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The group appear to be continuing to seek funding for 5 projects:
We are seeking funding for five projects:

  1. ME/CFS patients treated with extremely low cold dry air temperatures show improvement for 3 months, but decline by 12 months. Can we identify what is changing in their blood and test if this causes symptom changes?
  2. Blood associated PBMC miRNA and extracellular vesicles show promise as potential biomarkers when comparing severe ME/CFS patient with controls. We will run a validation study with mild and moderately affected patients.
  3. Expand testing to take more samples longitudinally, with clinical assessment using wearable monitors. This will involve our current clinical ME/CFS, Chronic Lyme and Long Covid research project aiming to identify possible causal factors.
  4. A Pilot study in Long Covid looking for alterations in blood extracellular vesicles and PBMCs.
  5. Searching for bacteria, fungal and viral pathogens in PANS PANDAS patients.
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https://www.development.ox.ac.uk/mecfs
 
"This will involve our current clinical ME/CFS, Chronic Lyme, and Long Covid research project aiming to identify possible causal factors."

I'm unclear why some of these researchers like to include Lyme when looking at ME/CFS. More to the point, I'd like to suggest to a possible causal factor for two of the three researched conditions: Lyme for chronic Lyme, and Covid for LC.

Who do I see about getting paid?
 
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We recently had a letter from Lord Kamall via Ed Davey our MP. See

https://www.s4me.info/threads/uk-pa...id-javid-12-may-2022.27591/page-8#post-421798

"The Government funds research into ME/CFS through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and the Medical Research Council (MRC) through UK Research Innovation. The NIHR and the MRC both welcome high-quality applications for research into all aspects of ME/CFS. It is not usual practice for the NIHR and MRC to ring-fence funds for particular topics or conditions. However, in the case of ME/CFS, the MRC has offered fellowship grants since 2003. Applications are currently encouraged that have a focus on the underpinning mechanisms of ME/CFS in adults, children and young people, with priority areas including immune dysregulation, pain, improved sub-phenotyping, and stratification of ME/CFS. In total, the Government has funded £2.4million of research into ME/CFS in the last three financial years. ( my bolding)"

Can Karl Morten apply for one of these fellowship grants? @Andy


edit: I see that in his letter here #43 of 27/12/2018 ( date corrected), Karl refers to an MRC application which would be crucial. Might it be possible to apply for a fellowship grant additionally? If a specific sum has been set aside for fellowship grants and ring fenced, could there be money available?? Fingers crossed.
 
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Trish said:
Is there a crowdfunding appeal for this?
Click to expand...
https://www.mortengroup.org.uk/fundraising/, it is mentioned on this page.

Binkie4 said:
Can Karl Morten apply for one of these fellowship grants? @Andy
Click to expand...
I would assume so but I have a vague memory that the restrictions on the funding might not make it a useful avenue for Karl to follow.

Binkie4 said:
edit: I see that in his letter here of 27/12/2201, Karl refers to an MRC application which would be crucial. Was he awarded it?
Click to expand...
No, unfortunately he didn't get that.
 
Thanks @Andy.

The letter from Lord Kamall was to Ed Davey M.P. who gave permission for it to be posted here. Might it be worthwhile to try to apply to the MRC specifically for a fellowship grant quoting Lord Kamall? I'm not sure how the funding allocation works apart from what Kamall said ( did we know about these fellowship grants?) Would " underpinning mechanisms of ME/cfs in adults" (Kamall) not fit with Morten's work? I'm amazed actually that funding was available for this sort of research from 2003.

I just find it so hard not to properly support real biomedical research.
 
Binkie4 said:
Thanks @Andy.

The letter from Lord Kamall was to Ed Davey M.P. who gave permission for it to be posted here. Might it be worthwhile to try to apply to the MRC specifically for a fellowship grant quoting Lord Kamall? I'm not sure how the funding allocation works apart from what Kamall said ( did we know about these fellowship grants?) Would " underpinning mechanisms of ME/cfs in adults" (Kamall) not fit with Morten's work? I'm amazed actually that funding was available for this sort of research from 2003.

I just find it so hard not to properly support real biomedical research.
Click to expand...
According to this page,
https://www.ukri.org/councils/mrc/f...nd-how-to-apply/1-1-applicants/#contents-list

"MRC fellowships are personal awards for talented researchers to support key transition points in their careers. Many of today’s leading biomedical and health researchers look back on their MRC fellowship as a significant stepping stone in developing their career.

We offer a range of fellowships to meet diverse needs, allowing training placements in the UK, abroad or in industry.

MRC fellowships support:

  • individuals transitioning to the next level in their careers, normally through a change from an existing / current role
  • protected time to focus on your own research, shielded from other professional commitments; clinicians can undertake clinical duties as part of their award
  • funding for a challenging research project and an ambitious programme of research training that offers accelerated personal and career development
  • progression towards fulfilling long term career goals, which includes an aspiration to strengthening the UK research base
  • a clear commitment from the host research organisation to supporting, developing and mentoring the fellow."
with further details at that link on who can apply for a fellowship grant. As I said, the restrictions might well not fit with Karl's profile - it is probably less about what he is looking to study but more about who can apply for the funding.
 
Very interesting @Andy but I am interested to know who has had a fellowship grant relating to ME.

The research areas that Lord Kamall describes above can't possibly relate to BPS type studies so I am curious about who has received this funding. Perhaps Julia Newton's work fitted this category?
 
Agenda

Session 1 Basic science and diagnostics

1.00 pm Prof Brad Sutherland (University of Tasmania) Link between fatigue and blood brain barrier break down in Rodent models (MS TEAMS)

1.20pm Prof Resia Petorius (University of Stellenbosh). Microclots in Long Covid and links to pathology

1.40pm Prof Douglas Kell (University of Liverpool) Chronic Ischaemia-Reperfusion injury in Long COVID resulting from fibrin amyloid microclots

2.00pm Dr Karl Morten (University of Oxford). Developing new diagnostic tests for chronic diseases

2.20pm Dr Inga Williams & Miss Edie Guo (University of Oxford). A new clinical protocol for studying the role of the microbiome in ME/CFS & research into energy regulating factors in the blood.

2.40pm Mr Jamie Strong (University of Oxford). Studying ME/CFS using plasma metabolomics

3.00pm Break. Stroll in the University parks to find ice creams, cold drinks and tea/coffee


Session 2 Treatment studies and whole patient investigations

4.00pm Dr Julian Kenyon (The Doveclinic) The miracle of Microbiome mapping

4.20pm Dr Slawomir Kujawski (Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Poland). Effects of whole-body cryotherapy and static stretching are maintained after 4 weeks treatment in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome

4.50pm Dr Ladslav Valkovic & Dr Beata Godlewska (University of Oxford) Brain and Muscle Imaging in ME/CFS and Long Covid

5.20pm Ms Caroline Struthers (University of Oxford) From Ignorance to Activism: the perils of criticising establishment-backed treatment studies in ME/CFS

5.40pm Discussion

6pm close
 
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