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The Ramsay Research Fund is the research arm of The ME Association – the UK’s longest-established national ME/CFS charity. It is named after Dr Melvin Ramsay, an infectious diseases consultant who documented a major outbreak of the illness at London’s Royal Free Hospital in 1955.
Current research projects include a scheme to set up a central ME tissue bank in a UK hospital. It is important to be able to identify any anomalies in the brain, spine and muscle tissue of people with ME/CFS which can be used as unique markers of ME/CFS. Tissue samples can be made available to any research group wanting to make use of them. Tissue banks already exist for Parkinson’s Disease, Multiple Sclerosis and other neurological conditions, and the Fund wishes to follow these examples.
The RRF is also funding a study at the University of Newcastle into abnormalities in muscle physiology which may indicate where there is skeletal muscle involvement in the exercise-induced fatigue which is a hallmark symptom of ME/CFS. This study will take forward findings from small studies that have already examined this aspect of muscle function.
The RRF has also recently finished funding a key phase of important new research at Glasgow Caledonian University into the genetic profiles of people with ME/CFS, which will hopefully lead to a diagnostic test and effective forms of treatment.
Each piece of research adds to the bigger picture about this illness. With your support we can continue to seek scientific evidence that will show that this illness is a real and physical one. This, in turn, will lead us to better treatments for people with ME/CFS.
To download a copy of our leaflet 'The MEA Ramsay Research Fund explained', click on the link below:
Ramsay Research Fund explained ('pdf'document - filesize 211kb)
Ramsay Research Fund constitution ('pdf'document - filesize 180kb)
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