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REAP: A platform to identify autoantibodies that target the human exoproteome, 2021, Wang et al

Discussion in 'Other health news and research' started by sveinnb, May 30, 2021.

  1. FMMM1

    FMMM1 Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    @Andy @Hutan
    I highlighted that Aaron Ring at Yale University is very interested in obtaining ME/CFS samples to assess them using the REAP platform; e.g. to Vicky Whittemore (NIH), & Maureen Hanson (OMF), both have contacted Aaron and offered samples. Jonas Bergquist (OMF) also offered to assist but that seems superfluous given the other offers.

    Not my place to comment about Solve ME's policy but as I understand it, if you wish to obtain samples from their biobank then you need to submit an application and this is considered i.e. against the "policy" which formed part of the "understanding" under which samples were donated.

    I was very impressed by the response from researchers i.e. to assist in assessing this technology (REACH) in ME/CFS.
     
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  2. Trish

    Trish Moderator Staff Member

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    I don't understand this comment.
     
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  3. Andy

    Andy Committee Member

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    Yet you are obviously commenting on their policy. Personally, I'm glad that Solve are applying the rules that they set in place when patients gave their samples to them. You imply that the NIH and OMF are handing around patients samples without taking into account patients wishes and any ethical considerations - I don't view that as being good for the integrity of science, and it is not a route that we will be following with the data that DecodeME generates.
     
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  4. Snowdrop

    Snowdrop Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    My usual caveat that I know nothing about how these things are done.

    On the face of it though it would seem right to me that Solve would have to follow the rules they set. But . . .
    it would seem that those rules are being rather restrictive to the biobank having anything other than narrow utility. Maybe Solve need to look at their rules or do they no longer collect new samples?
     
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  5. Jonathan Edwards

    Jonathan Edwards Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    There are a number of autoantibodies for which we see little if any fall in any patients with rituximab - antibodies to Sm, RNP, Ro (Sjogren's) for instance. Lupus has a mix of antibodies that fall nicely (anti-DNA) and once that don't like Sm.

    If ME were autoantibody driven it would presumably have to be by antibodies that do not fall in most if not all cases for there to be a null result from rituximab. So like Sjogren's we would be looking for an autoantibody predominantly made by long-lived plasma cells.

    The autoantibodies that have raised interest recently are to muscarinic ACh receptors or adrenergic receptors. These did fall with rituximab though, which rather suggests that they are not important.
     
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  6. Andy

    Andy Committee Member

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    Define narrow utility. Without knowing for certain, I would imagine that as long as any application for their samples could show that the related study had received ethical approval and didn't breach any conditions, if any, that had been set by by the people giving the samples then there wouldn't have been any issue.

    From the little information that we have, it seems the developer of this new analysis found those requirements onerous, and I'm concerned that the NIH and OMF are implied to have been happy to bypass such minimal criteria and just hand over samples to them.

    Solve aren't doing anything unusual, it seems that the NIH and OMF are.
     
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  7. Snowdrop

    Snowdrop Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    Thanks for your response @Andy. That provides some additional context. My comment was based on my usual lack of knowing what's going on (or forgetting sometimes).

    I just hope to see that biobank samples are being used (with proper approval / oversight) to further research, which I think we all do. I speak from frustration and impatience sometimes too.
     
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  8. Cort

    Cort Established Member

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    After being contacted by Francis I sent the above post to Solve ME in case they have some they want to share from their Biobank. Sounds really interesting! I'll contact Simmaron as well.
     
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  9. FMMM1

    FMMM1 Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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  10. FMMM1

    FMMM1 Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    Yes I had thought that by:
    • commenting on the fact that Solve had policies in place re access to donated samples; and
    • not commenting on the position re access in relation to samples held by NIH & Maureen Hanson (Cornell/OMF);
    then that could be interpreted as suggesting that NIH & Maureen Hanson (Cornell/OMF) don't have polies in place - which I'm sure they do.

    I'm hoping this will blow over.

    My main point was that scientists, and NIH, were in fact very keen to assist Aaron in investigation this technique in ME/CFS ---- 'No good deed goes unpunished'
     
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  11. FMMM1

    FMMM1 Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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    Hi I happened to be replying to a message from @Ron and thought I might post part of the reply here:
    "I certainly think the technology is interesting but I think there may be challenges. E.g. if you look at one of Jonas Bergquist's old talks then you'll see that there are about 30,000 geneses, coding for proteins, and there are about 4 million proteins. The reason is that the "base" protein can be modified - "post-translational modification". These modifications are discussed in the paper. Yes the technique may help to identify autoimmune forms of ME/CFS - it looks like it has real promise for any autoimmune disease."

    Thanks Ron.
     
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  12. sveinnb

    sveinnb Established Member (Voting Rights)

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    Here is a presentation by Aaron M Ring. It explains the concept in details and during QnA he confirms they are looking into both long covid and ME/CFS with this technology. Very promising.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TDtR4XtLDU


     
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  13. FMMM1

    FMMM1 Senior Member (Voting Rights)

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