Category Archives: Research

FDA Progress on Measuring Outcomes

Posted on November 9, 2015 by Jennie Spotila

I have an update on the progress of the ME/CFS Outcomes Measures Working Group working with FDA. As I reported in March 2015, the FDA helped convene a Working Group comprised of representatives from FDA, NIH, CDC, and academia in … Continue reading →

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The NIH Plan

Posted on November 4, 2015 by Jennie Spotila

(updated November 9, 2015) Unless you have been avoiding the internet for the last week, you already know that NIH has made a big announcement regarding its plans for ME/CFS research. Dr. Francis Collins has made some remarkable and welcome … Continue reading →

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No CDC Funding for CFS?

Posted on August 4, 2015 by Jennie Spotila

ME/CFS advocates focus almost exclusively on research funding from the National Institutes of Health, and with good reason. But now it appears that funding for the Centers for Disease Control’s CFS program may be at risk in the 2016 appropriations … Continue reading →

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The Burial of ME

Posted on May 8, 2015 by Jennie Spotila

Mary Dimmock has published an extraordinary review of the last thirty years of ME history. With her permission, I’ve reported her announcement with the link to the full document below. I highly recommend reading as much of this document as … Continue reading →

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Assessing Outcomes

Posted on March 31, 2015 by Jennie Spotila

The IOM, P2P and AHRQ reports all pointed out a serious gap in ME/CFS research: the absence of validated ways of assessing clinical outcomes. I have new information about an initiative to change that, and I’ll be speaking about my … Continue reading →

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Expired Opportunities

Posted on March 10, 2015 by Jennie Spotila

NIH funding of ME/CFS research has bumped up against a deadline that could have dire consequences for 2015 and beyond. The primary mechanism for grant applications has expired. Grant applications to NIH must be submitted in response to calls for … Continue reading →

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2014 NIH Spending on ME/CFS Studies

Posted on March 4, 2015 by Jennie Spotila

Update: This post was revised on October 29, 2016 to correct mathematical errors and update the included research. There is no denying or avoiding the importance of the IOM report and its associated controversies, but ME/CFS advocates must keep eyes … Continue reading →

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PEM Differential

Posted on February 25, 2015 by Jennie Spotila

One of the post-IOM controversies consuming advocates at the moment is the concern that SEID criteria are non-specific and will include people who do not have our disease. The failure to list exclusionary conditions, including psychological disorders, has drawn criticism … Continue reading →

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IOM: The Big Day

Posted on February 6, 2015 by Jennie Spotila

On February 10th, the Institute of Medicine committee will release its report Beyond ME/CFS: Redefining an Illness. The release event will be webcast at 11am Eastern. The report contents are under embargo until the release, although rumors are flying about … Continue reading →

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P2P Report: First Read

Posted on December 19, 2014 by Jennie Spotila

The P2P Panel’s draft report on advancing ME/CFS research has been published. The report is not the nightmare that many people feared, but it is also not what I had hoped for or what we need. The advocacy chatter I’ve … Continue reading →

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