Global research team aims to find cause of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Data visualisation company Zegami is collaborating with an international team of medical researchers to try and find what causes Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS).

The condition, also known as Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) affects around 20 million people worldwide, but it is currently not clear what causes it. A range of complex symptoms make the condition difficult to diagnose and only 5% of patients make a full recovery.

The new project involving Zegami will be the largest of its kind in Europe, including three research centres in Oxford Bydgoszcz (Poland), and Valencia, over a four to five-year period. The team has secured $750,000 in funding from SoftCell Biologicals and is looking to raise an additional £1.6 million.

SoftCell Biologicals has recently developed a patent-pending protocol to culture and examine hidden bacteria in the circulatory system. Recent research into the cause of CFS/ME has been focused on the high levels of L-form bacteria found in patients’ blood, which suggests they may play a role in the condition.

The project will use Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cell (PBMC) data obtained from the UK ME/CFS biobank, which includes samples of ME/CFS, Multiple Sclerosis and healthy control groups. Raman spectroscopy will then be used and visualised using Zegami’s software in order to differentiate between the three groups, and also identify trends and patterns.

It’s hoped that the project will help develop the first ever medical diagnostic test for ME/CFS and could even lead to new treatments or a cure.

Dr Karl Morten director of Graduate Studies and Principle Investigator, The University of Oxford said: “We hope to embark on a hugely important project to try and find out what causes ME, a question that has baffled the medical profession.  Our hope is that if we can find out what causes this debilitating disease and a test can then quickly be developed to help identify when people are suffering from it. With diagnosis in many cases taking over 10 years, early detection could potentially enable patients to take steps to prevent the condition from getting worse and increasing the chances of a full recovery. The ultimate prize would be that our work would contribute to the medical profession finding new treatments and ultimately a cure.”

Roger Noble, CEO and founder of Zegami said: “We are delighted to be able to help such a talented team working on such an important project.  Medical research is one of the biggest adopters of data visualisation tools and its use of these is increasing rapidly.  We are involved in a number of medical projects looking at cancer and cardiovascular diseases, for example.”