I hope the Mods won't mind me creating a thread for this blog, which looks at why genetic studies are so important. Posted for British Science Week. Decades on, and with over $100m spent on research (it should have been much more), we still don't know for sure any causes of ME/CFS. Genetic studies cut through the causes and effect problem that plague most other studies: how do you know if the difference from healthy controls indicates a cause of ME/CFS or is just an effect of chronic illness? Illness does not change our DNA, so if there is a difference, it's because it is playing a role in increasing the risk of getting it. These DNA differences (if found!) should point towards biological causes. >>>> Why do we need a genetic study like DecodeME? People with ME/CFS want effective treatments. To find treatments, researchers must first find the causes of ME/CFS. Despite having several promising lines of enquiry, the causes of ME/CFS remain unknown. A genetic study can help because DNA studies are particularly good at identifying the root causes of disease. The problem: biological differences might not reveal disease causes Researchers often find biological differences between people with ME/CFS and healthy people. These include differences in immune signalling molecules called cytokines, differences in mitochondria, the power stations that provide fuel for our cells, and much more. .... I am happy to also discuss why we need such a BIG genetic study. https://twitter.com/user/status/1503407740865105924
