We are recruiting for a research study in ME/CFS (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis / Chronic Fatigue Syndrome). If you are aged 18-65 years and have been a medical diagnosis of ME/CFS and you are interested in taking part in our study, please read about the project below:
What is the project about?
Our research is a multidisciplinary approach to investigate ME/CFS which aims to take some blood, urine and faecal samples from 60 people (including 20 healthy controls), during two phases of illness. This includes when the person is experiencing a period of feeling unwell, and when their symptoms are reduced. There will also be a series of questionnaires that gather health and personal information about you, so that we can match information about you with your samples and ME/CFS symptoms.
We intend to examine the components in your blood (biomarkers) that may inform us about the differences between what is often called an ME/CFS crash (where the person feels very unwell) and then we will re-examine blood and urine biomarkers when the same person is feeling considerably better. Biomarkers include ‘cytokines’ that may inform us about inflammation and how your body is responding to your current period of illness. By matching a period when you feel sick and a period of when you are well, we may see some differences.
Difficulty with sleep is often experienced by those diagnosed with ME/CFS, so participants in the study will undergo sleep monitoring for a night (or a 12-hour period to match your usual sleeping pattern). We will apply a sleep monitor to you, which will measure your bodily activity overnight. We will then retrieve the sleep monitor the following day. We will also measure your blood sugar over one week using a patch that you wear on your arm. The information from the patch is downloaded onto a computer at the end of the week. We will ask you to provide a dietary and activity diary during this week. We will also collect a urine and faecal sample to assess the bacteria in your microbiome (your gut and urine).
If I want to participate, what do I do?
- E: unisa.researchvolunteers@unisa.edu.au
- P: 8302 1365
Our Research Team
- Dr Michael Musker
- Dr Martin Lewis
- Dr Niranjan Bidargaddi
- Professor Rob Adams
- Dr Tiffany Gill
- Associate Professor Leonie Heilbronn
- Dr Andrew Vincent
- Dr Amy Reynolds
- Dr Derek Chew
