ME Research UK

05/06/2026

Researcher at University of Oxford is studying how health care experiences impact wellbeing in people with ME/CFS. Online questionnaire of 20 min duration (breaks and saving options) & repeated in 6 months. £5 voucher available after follow-up.

Questions are not intended to make any inferences between mental health and ME/CFS symptoms. Open to those aged 18-64 years old with experience living with ME/CFS & using the UK healthcare system for support with symptoms - https://tinyurl.com/247253by
NB – This is not an ME Research UK-funded study.

05/06/2026

Thank you so much to our new fundraisers this month, and to everyone who has supported the charity.

We welcome Sophie Allen, Claire Carter, Nicole Alexander, Fiona Williams, Andrew Gifford, Ian Murdie, Ruby Burns, Anita Walker, Chloe Mattinson, Will Adlam, Dan Adlam, Skye Louw, Nathalie Holden, and Mia Batchelor.

Your efforts mean the world to us.

You can read their stories here:
https://www.meresearch.org.uk/fundraising-focus-june-2026/

05/06/2026

Entries have started coming in for our 2026 Founders' Science Writing Award, which this year has the theme 'Heterogeneity in ME/CFS research populations – challenges faced, lessons learned, and next steps'. There are still a few weeks left until the deadline of 13th July, so if you're an early career researcher who's interested in entering, you can find out more on our website: bit.ly/4tHXlwr

04/06/2026

ME Research UK is currently funding 14 ME/CFS research studies around the world, and throughout this week we’d like to remind you about some of those which are now well underway or due to finish in the next few months.

François Jérôme Authier at Université Paris-Est Créteil (UPEC) is exploring cognitive dysfunction in ME/CFS, by analysing clinical, neuropsychological and neuroimaging data from people with the disease, and assessing how the cognitive measures correlate with changes in the brain. bit.ly/3yNR3Uq

Another of our PhD-level projects is being conducted by Doug Barrett and student, Anosha Altaf, at the University of Leicester. Continuing a long programme of research into vision problems in ME/CFS, they are investigating the impact of the disease on visual sensory processing and selective attention. bit.ly/barrett005

04/06/2026

At ME Research UK we are blessed with so many incredible fundraisers. One of these is Rachel Carey.

Rachel, together with her husband and daughter Richard and Megan, walked 500 miles in May in support of ME Awareness Month.

She says: "My daughter Amy, aged 16, lives with ME/CFS and our motivation is the hope that one day she will have treatment that results in her being able to live life to the full without having to compromise in order to cope."

Thank you so much Rachel, Richard, and Megan - we wish Amy the best.

You can learn more about Rachel's journey here:
https://tinyurl.com/support-rachel-carey

03/06/2026

ME Research UK is currently funding 14 ME/CFS research studies around the world, and throughout this week we’d like to remind you about some of those which are now well underway or due to finish in the next few months.

Rob Wüst and colleagues at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam are investigating the causes of muscle abnormalities and post-exertional malaise in ME/CFS, specifically by looking at microclot accumulation in muscle fibres, and immune cell activation. bit.ly/wust068

One of our four PhD-level projects involves Jo Nijs and student, Jente Van Campenhout, at VUB - Vrije Universiteit Brussel, who are investigating whether mitochondrial dysfunction in ME/CFS depends on how severely an individual is affected by autonomic nervous system abnormalities. bit.ly/nijs004

03/06/2026

BBC has featured two stories which will be of interest to those affected by ME.

Firstly, Morning Live yesterday revisited the disease and explained more about it (c9min watch from 21.22 min - https://tinyurl.com/55vmf4se) and, secondly, 'I can't ride a bike, cook or play with my grand kids' article about the real life experience of living with ME - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4g91y92j84o

Join Gethin Jones, Helen Skelton, Michelle Ackerley and the team for conversation, advice and tips to make your day that little bit easier.

02/06/2026

ME Research UK is currently funding 14 ME/CFS research studies around the world, and throughout this week we’d like to remind you about some of those which are now well underway or due to finish in the next few months.

Amy Proal and colleagues at PolyBio Research Foundation are searching for viruses in tissue and nerve samples from people with ME/CFS, to explore how viral activity (and which specific viruses) contributes to the disease process. meres.uk/proal059sh

Following up his previous research, Leighton Barnden at Griffith University is using MRI to track changes in the structure and function of the brain over time in ME/CFS, to explore whether previously identified abnormalities remain stable or get worse as the disease progresses. bit.ly/barnden067

02/06/2026

Huge thanks to staff at The Recruitment Crowd who took part in a bushtucker trial in aid of ME Research UK and special congratulations to the eventual winner - Conall.

For those who can stomach it, there is a TicTok video -

26 likes, 5 comments. “🤢🍽️👑 OVER £1,500 RAISED! 👑🍽️🤢 What an incredible first fundraising event for ME Research UK! 💙 Our TRC Bush Tucker Trial saw the team tackle some truly disgusting foods 🤮🦗🌶️🐟 in the name of charity, collecting stars ⭐ for every chall...

01/06/2026

ME Research UK is currently funding 14 ME/CFS research studies around the world, and throughout this week we’d like to remind you about some of those which are now well underway or due to finish in the next few months.

James Allison at Newcastle University is using electroencephalography to measure the brain’s response to pain in people with ME/CFS and/or temporomandibular disorders (pain in the face or jaw), and to explore the role of the autonomic nervous system. meres.uk/elucidate

Also investigating the brain and nervous system, Zack Shan at the University of the Sunshine Coast is using advanced imaging techniques to assess brain neuroinflammation and the lymphatic system in ME/CFS. meres.uk/shan062