CFS patients in the UK are set to benefit from a world-first genomics study into the condition, also known as ME, which affects hundreds of thousands of people nationwide, the government has announced.
Backed by £4.7 million of government funding, the study will enable the SequenceME programme to sequence the genomes of up to 6,000 ME/CFS patients, generating a world-first high-resolution genetic map of the illness, News Cover reports, citing the UK government's official website.
This first-of-its-kind programme cements the UK’s position at the forefront of global genomic research, building on a track record of scientific firsts stretching from the Human Genome Project to the COVID-19 genomic surveillance effort.
This breakthrough could unlock the biological causes of the condition for the first time ever, paving the way for better diagnostics and new treatments for those who live with the disease.
ME/CFS causes debilitating fatigue, sleep difficulties and cognitive impairment. Around a quarter of those diagnosed are severely affected, leaving them housebound or unable to work. Despite the scale of its impact, there is limited understanding of the causes and biological mechanisms driving the condition.
