Jonathan Kerr,
Senior Lecturer, and his team is studying the genes of CFS
patients to understand the causative mechanisms, develop a
diagnostic test and identify treatments, following publication
of their pilot study which demonstrated reproducible differences
in gene expression in CFS patients.
Following a successful application for a large grant from the
CFS Research Foundation, the pilot
study was expanded. The principal goals of their current
research program is to gain a clear understanding of the genes
associated only or mainly with CFS and to identify protein
biomarkers in the serum of CFS patients, which can be used to
develop a diagnostic test. In addition, based on the genes shown
to be associated with CFS, Jonathan Kerr’s team will identify
and perform clinical trials of new and established
pharmaceutical drugs in order to identify one or more treatments
for the illness.
To date the genes identified in CFS suggest a complex picture of
disease mechanisms. However, certain themes of gene activity are
emerging of which “immunity and defense” is the most prominent.
This supports previous findings on the role of the immune system
in the maintenance of this disease. It is now important to test
these genes in other disease control groups in order to ensure
they are specific to CFS.
This study is drawing CFS patients from 12 CFS clinics in the UK
and 2 in the USA.
