degree. While most of her prior research has concerned cell and molecular biology in plant cells, she began a research program on ME/CFS after noting at a 2007 IACFS meeting the paucity of molecular biologists studying the illness. Her lab was part of the 2012 multicenter study organized by Ian Lipkin's group at Columbia University to assess the actual role of XMRV in ME/CFS. Abstract: Research at the Cornell Center for Enervating Neuroimmune Disease The Center for Enervating Neuroimmune Disease (ENID Center) encompasses a number of projects, including research carried out by the Cornell NIH ME/CFS Collaborative Research Center (CRC). The CRC has undertaken 3 projects, all unified by performance of an exertion challenge by subjects, who will perform twoday cardiopulmonary exercise tests (CPETs) using the protocol developed by the Workwell Foundation and Prof. Betsy Keller (Ithaca College). To ensure that all subjects meet the criteria for ME/CFS or for healthy sedentary controls, Drs. Susan Levine, Geoffrey Moore, and John Chia will diagnose and screen volunteers. In a project led by Professor Dikoma Shungu at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City, subjects will undergo Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS) and Positron Emission Tomography (PET) of their brains in order to evaluate oxidative stress and neuroinflammation. The neuroimaging will occur before performing an initial CPET and before performing a second one the next day, in order to determine the effect of exertion. Blood will be collected before and after each CPET at Weill Cornell Medicine, and before and after CPETs supervised by Dr. Keller at Ithaca College and supervised by the Workwell Foundation at Dr. John Chia’s clinic in Los Angeles. Blood will be fractionated and sent to Cornell University in Ithaca. There, my lab group will analyze extracellular vesicle number, size, and content in plasma, and Dr. Andrew Grimson’s lab will isolate individual white blood cells to sequence and identify genes that are expressed. The molecular data, neuroimaging, and subject survey data will be examined by a Data Analysis Core headed by Dr. Fabien Campagne (Weill Cornell Medicine) for correlations to identify relationships specific to diseased or healthy status, or pre- or post-exertion state. By examining patients when at baseline and after postexertional malaise has been induced, we hope to gain insights into the factors that cause this disabling symptom, which also should shed light on the biological basis of the disease. The Center also has an active outreach program, facilitated by Executive Director Susi Varvayanis and our Patient Advocate Committee. More information about Invest in ME research (Charity Nr. 1153730) activities can be found here: http://neuroimmune.cornell.edu/news/ or by following us on twitter: @DrMaureenHanson or @CornellMECFS . The Center also has several other ongoing studies, including comparisons of gene expression, oxidative phosphorylation, and glycolysis in B, T, and NK cells from patients vs. controls. We have begun pilot studies to examine plasma metabolites and extracellular vesicles using an existing set of samples collected from patients at baseline. Information from these studies will be presented. Professor Markku Partinen University of Helsinki, Finland Prof Markku Partinen is a neurologist and an internationally wellknown opinion leader and expert in sleep research and sleep medicine. Professor Partinen is currently Director of the Helsinki Sleep Clinic, Vitalmed Research Centre, and Principal Investigator of Sleep Research at Institute of Clinical Medicine, Clinicum, University of Helsinki, Finland. He has been the coordinator of the NARPANord Narcolepsy Consortium. He became interested in sleep research while studying medicine at the University of Montpellier, France. He obtained his medical degree (DrMed) from Montpellier in 1976 (Supervisor Prof Pierre Passouant). He received his PhD in 1982 (epidemiology of sleep disorders), and degree of a specialist in neurology in 1982, in Helsinki, Finland. He has worked as a postdoc researcher at Stanford University, USA in 1985-86 and in Bologna, Italy in 1987. In addition, he has had several shorter visits as visiting researcher or visiting Professor at different Universities in Europe. His main interests in sleep medicine have been narcolepsy, excessive daytime sleepiness and fatigue (including ME), sleep apnea, and parasomnias. He has published more than 330 original articles in peer reviewed Journals in addition to writing many book Chapters and editing several books. His Hirsch factor (H-factor) is 59 in ISI Web of Sciences and 64 in Scopus. www.investinme.org Page 51 of 56
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