'M.E. myself and I' by Anna Redshaw

The initial results of the Decode ME DNA study have been released. And it feels like our birthdays and Christmases have come early!

I think I’m still shaking after reading the results last night, but have given all I’ve got to throw together a post to mark this, surely, historic occasion.

The DecodeME team is delighted to announce that the initial analysis of15,579 DNA samples is complete, and we have important news to share. 

https://www.decodeme.org.uk/initial-dna-results

Main findings from our analysis 

Your genes contribute to your chances of developing ME/CFS.

• People with an ME/CFS diagnosis have significant genetic differences in their DNA compared to the general population. These lie in many places across the genome, and do not impact just one gene.
• Eight genetic signals have been identified. As DNA doesn’t change with ME/CFS onset, these findings reflect causes rather than effects of ME/CFS.
• The signals discovered are involved in the immune and the nervous systems, indicating immunological and neurological causes to this poorly understood disease.
• At least two of the signals relate to the body’s response to infection. Other signals point to the nervous system, one of which researchers previously found in people experiencing chronic pain, reinforcing neurological contributions to ME/CFS. These signals align with how people with ME/CFS describe their illness.

“This is a wakeup call. These extraordinary results speak the language of people with ME/CFS, often recounting people’s ME/CFS symptoms. DecodeME is now calling on researchers worldwide to join us in accelerating ME/CFS research. With our participants we have built an extraordinarily rich DecodeME data set, to which we continue to offer data access. We especially welcome researchers whose work is relevant to the eight signals we have identified, and who could bring their expertise to bear in highly targeted studies that would produce further ME/CFS insights and ultimately treatments.” Professor Chris Ponting, DecodeME lead investigator, University of Edinburgh