Sunshine Project Genomics Core Study
Status: Completed in spring 2015.
Researchers: Andreas Kogelnik, MD, PhD, at the Open Medicine Institute (OMI).
Funding: Equipment funded by OMF donations.
Study Goal: Identify gene expression/activity in ME / CFS patients in relation to symptoms, symptom severity, before and after treatments and disease stage.
Study Info: Through an OMF donor, state-of-the-art equipment for the measurement of gene expression (70,000 genes at a particular time point) was acquired and put into operation at OMI. This part of the OMI Omics Core is aimed at shedding new light on what goes up and down as patients progress through their disease (and treatment) courses. Ongoing projects in the Core include baseline, severity surveys, treatment progression, and exercise and other stress testing as part of the OMI ME / CFS Biobank survey. Several papers are expected to be published from this work, including an in-depth analysis on a small cohort of patients.
Action Needed: None at this time.
ME / CFS Whole Genome Profiles
Status: Completed in the fall of 2014.
Researchers: Andreas Kogelnik, MD, PhD, at the Open Medicine Institute and the Stanford Genomic Technology Center.
Funding: Wholly funded by OMF donations through the Edward P. Evans Foundation.
Study Goal: Perform the first whole genome DNA analyses ever done in ME / CFS.
Study Info: This study looked at the genetic profile of 6 ME / CFS patients and several family members. This effort has produced “a tidal wave of data” that, like most whole genome data, will be analyzed for some time to come. The initial result did not yield any single genes responsible for ME / CFS, however, it did identify numerous candidate groupings for increased susceptibility to ME / CFS.
Action Needed: None at this time.
ME / CFS Epigenetics DNA Methylation Pilot
Status: Completed in the fall of 2014.
Researchers: Andreas Kogelnik, MD, PhD, at the Open Medicine Institute.
Funding: Wholly funded by OMF donations through the Edward P. Evans Foundation.
Study Goal: Perform an initial analysis of external factors influencing DNA activity in ME / CFS patients.
Study Info: This study looked at how genes in ME / CFS patients are marked for activity, that is turned on or turned off, when exposed to certain stimuli. In the fall of 2014, we completed an analysis of methylation patterns associated with hundreds of patients.
Action Needed: None at this time.
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