Journal of IiMER May 2025 Over nearly two decades, our charity has worked tirelessly to advance ME research and facilitate meaningful collaborations. Whilst being thankful for the foundations our supporters have enabled and established - evident in the growth of research networks at Norwich and across Europe - we must also acknowledge the persistent challenges that have tempered progress. Our recent experience with the DHSC working group, where our proposals to accelerate research and collaboration were regrettably ignored, serves as a reminder of the obstacles that arise when the same incumbent influences consistently dictate the pace of change, steering outcomes towards predetermined conclusions. As highlighted in our article Déjà vu?, published even before we were invited to be involved, such patterns risk perpetuating a status quo in which opportunities for genuine progress are repeatedly missed. Despite these setbacks, our resolve remains undiminished. The robust research infrastructure and partnerships built through the dedication of our supporters and the wider ME community now offer an invaluable platform for meaningful advancement. It is vital that this momentum is not lost - nor that existing efforts are overlooked, unnecessarily duplicated, and especially not reinvented at the expense of real progress. Instead, we should support the foundations already established, ensuring that the groundwork laid by our collective efforts can be fully realised for the benefit of people with ME. To new researchers joining our field: you are entering a community that values innovation, collaboration, and the resolve to challenge inertia. In these challenging times for researchers, your commitment is welcome. We invite you to build on these foundations and work with us to improve this critical situation for people with ME and their families. Our annual international conferences and colloquia have become important platforms for knowledge exchange, setting research priorities, and fostering new collaborations. This year’s BRMEC14 colloquium and IIMEC17 conference, focused on translating research into diagnostics and treatments, demonstrate our intent to bridge the gap between scientific discovery and meaningful patient outcomes. Systems biology, which integrates multiple layers of biological data, remains a key focus for discovery of the complex nature of ME. As we come together for this week of learning, discussion, and collaboration, we invite all delegates to engage fully, share ideas, and forge new partnerships. The collective expertise and dedication within this community are vital to our shared goal: a future where people with ME receive the care, understanding, and hope they deserve, and where a sustained strategy of biomedical research ultimately leads to effective treatments. Thank you for your continued support and commitment, Kathleen McCall Chair, Invest in ME Research UK charity Nr. 1153730 PO Box 561 Eastleigh SO50 0GQ Hampshire, UK Email: info@investinme.org Web: www.investinme.org DISCLAIMER The views expressed in this Journal by contributors and others do not necessarily represent those of Invest in ME Research. No medical recommendations are given or implied. Patients with any illness are recommended to consult their personal physician at all times. Invest in ME Research Page 2 of 43
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