BRMEC12 Colloquium

31 May - 1 June 2023

Wellcome Genome Campus, UK

Developing further insights into mechanisms and complexity of myalgic encephalomyelitis including aspects of long covid research

Now CPD-ACCREDITED 12 points


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We are pleased to announce the 12th Biomedical Research into ME Research Colloquium, organised by Invest in ME Research. The colloquium bring togethers international scientists and clinicians working on, or interested in, myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME or sometimes referred to as ME/CFS) and will again advance research into the disease by facilitating the sharing of knowledge and collaboration between researchers from around the world.
The Colloquium will revert to an in-person meeting this year.

Every Colloquium aims to improve understanding, collaboration and cooperation.

ME, and more recently Long Covid, place a huge burden in healthcare yet the capacity of research has continually been restricted by limited funding. The annual BRMEC* Colloquium aids in utilising the research expertise that does exist and aims to facilitate more collaboration and increased interest in this field.
With developments around research into Long Covid and with the similarities of some symptoms to those experienced by people with ME then this topic will be also included as a central component of the agenda and a number of presentations concerning ME and long covid will be given with a focus on the aetiology of the disease.
The knowledge and the road travelled by ME researchers and clinicians is an invaluable aid for understanding long Covid.
Understanding the viral and immunological mechanisms behind both of those conditions is the key to making progress.

The event presents a unique networking opportunity for researchers, clinicians and students to learn and be appraised from the most relevant biomedical research initiatives.

Some of the institutes, organisations and agencies that have speakers, representatives and participants attending the conference week 2023 events -

Quadram Institute
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
University of East Anglia
Kings College London
University of Oslo
University of Bergen
University of Helsinki
University of Uppsala
University of Würzburg
Nova Southeastern University, Miami
Université de Montréal
Charité University Hospital, Berlin
Universidad Católica de Valencia
Harvard Medical School
Aarhus Universitet
Georgetown University
University College London
European ME Research Group
Copenhagen University Hospital
Cornell University
University of South Florida
University of Vermont
The Jackson Laboratory
NCNED, Australia
University of Liverpool
The Free University in Amsterdam
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Medical University of Vienna
Imperial College London
Mayo Clinic
Linköping University
Simmaron Research
North-West University
Queen Mary University London
University of Utrecht
Stanford Genome Technology Center
Columbia University
Radboud University
University of Nottingham
University of Amsterdam
University of Birmingham
University of Otago
Johns Hopkins University

The colloquium will start at approximately 09.00 on each day and close at approximately 18.00, after which there will be an evening diiner where more opportunities for discussion and networking will be available.

In the last years' Colloquiums we already viewed the history of ME in order to aid understanding of long covid.
Discussions will focus on a variety of exciting topics, including sessions on:

  • Epidemiology of ME (and LONG COVID)
  • Host Virus Interaction - ME and Long Covid
  • Immunogenetics
  • CNS and Imaging
  • Mitochondrial Dysfunction and Metabolomics
  • ANS and Autoimmunity
  • Microbiome
  • Therapies and Treatments
  • AI and Bioinformatics
  • Research Updates
  • Multiple chaired discussions

More details of the programme are available at the link below.

The annual Invest in ME Research International Biomedical Research Colloquium has been established as a closed symposium for researchers to share data and ideas and is by invitation from the charity and as agreed by with our advisors.

We are interested in progressing our goals of encouraging international collaboration in investigating this disease which will lead to discovery of aetiology and/or development of effective treatments.

For biomedical researchers who are interested in participating in the BRMEC* Colloquiums then please use our registration request form, or contact us for further information.
We also invite participation from outside the field of ME where it may assist existing researchers.

We have relocated the Colloquium to a new venue for this year - Hinxton Hall in Cambridgeshire.

Hinxton Hall

Hinxton Hall Conference Centre is located on the Wellcome Genome Campus, alongside research institutions that are at the forefront of the genomics revolution. Hinxton Hall Conference Centre blends stunning contemporary architecture with state-of-the-art facilities, alongside a Grade II* listed country house, all set within a beautiful, rural 100 acre estate bordering the River Cam.

This location is near to Cambridge as well as a short drive from London Stansted airport.
There is also a direct link to London Stansted from central London.
This venue offers a number of advantages for assisting in our objectives of building collaboration and expanding knowledge.
We hope this approach will again aid in linking knowledge and research together in order to assist future discovery.

The Colloquium will have the possibility to allow poster presentations. Please contact us if interested in a poster presentation.

For biomedical researchers who are interested in participating in the BRMEC* Colloquiums then please use our registration request form, or contact us for further information.

Invest in ME Research started the international ME Conferences in 2006 – providing a platform for biomedical research into ME and allowing researchers, clinicians and patients to come together and share experiences and knowledge.
In 2011 we created a forum where international researchers could meet and discuss in confidence and facilitate collaboration in research. This formed our Biomedical Research into ME (BRMEC) Colloquiums – closed research meetings bringing together the best biomedical research and new ideas and creating a family of international researchers who could work together. This has been one of the main objectives of the charity. Over the years this has broadened into sharing of experiences, data and plans for future research and international collaboration. A culmination of much of this effort was the initiation of The European ME Research Group (EMERG) concept which formed in October 2015 in an attempt to set up a strategy of European collaboration in ME research.

The Colloquiums have continued to grow in size every year and now regularly attract researchers from fifteen countries.
The most relevant biomedical research initiatives plus other research disciplines sharing knowledge will be present and the event present a unique networking opportunity for researchers, clinicians and students.

Since 2020 the emerging relevance of long covid and similarities to ME have been introduced into proceedings.
Past Colloquiums can be seen via the link below
Read more


Last Update February 2023