JOURNAL OF IIMER May 2026 Last Year’s Bursary Students From over 50 applications, three students were selected for the 2025 bursaries: Mya Pearce (University of York, Biology), Paige Cameron (University of Southampton, Biomedical Sciences) and Tayyibah Sarwar (University of Westminster, Biomedical Sciences). Following their six-week placement at the Quadram Institute, they shared their reflections. Their motivations were personal as well as academic. Paige’s sister has ME, making the research feel urgent and meaningful. Mya was drawn to under-researched, idiopathic conditions. Tay discovered the bursary almost by chance through LinkedIn - and applied immediately. All three arrived expecting a step beyond the teaching lab. What they found exceeded that. Mya investigated antibody reactivity to fungal antigens, learning flow cytometry alongside DNA extraction and PCR. Paige and Tay both worked on the virome in mucosal cavities of ME patients, developing qPCR, cDNA synthesis, and bioinformatic analysis skills - much of it entirely new to them. The Quadram team made a strong impression. The students describe a welcoming, collaborative environment where questions were encouraged and expertise was freely shared. Tay noted that everyone - from scientists to canteen staff - was approachable. All three leave with deepened ambitions: Mya is heading towards a masters in immunology, Paige towards biomedical research in disease mechanisms, and Tay towards drug development - with ME treatments in her sights. As Tay put it: “It was incredibly rewarding to know that the work I was contributing to could one day help improve understanding and treatment of ME.” Further information: Invest in ME Research Young EMERG Workshop Series The idea behind the formation of the Young EMERG network was to build awareness and provide opportunities for emerging researchers in Europe and create a support network that could encourage interest in research into ME, thereby increasing capacity. Last year Young EMERG held their workshop in Vienna last November. Invest in ME Research Page 15 of 35
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