In honor of World ME Day, we are proud to announce the Solve ME/CFS Catalyst Awards—a focused initiative designed to keep momentum alive for promising scientific work in challenging times.
The ME/CFS Catalyst Awards recognize research projects that have already made significant strides in advancing our understanding of ME/CFS, Long Covid, and associated conditions and are poised to deliver meaningful results with just a bit more support. These awards will accelerate progress, providing targeted funding to help outstanding studies reach completion, publication, or the next phase of investigation faster.
By spotlighting projects with strong potential widespread impact, the Catalyst Awards ensure that vital progress doesn’t stall—and that innovative science continues to move forward regardless of federal funding cycles. This year, Solve is awarding over $100,000 to researchers who are making significant breakthroughs in the field.
Dr. Akiko Iwasaki (Yale School of Medicine) will be the first recipient of a Solve ME/CFS Catalyst Award for her study “Probing Functional Autoantibodies in Patients with ME/CFS.” Dr. Iwasaki’s project is a vital step to uncover the biological drivers of ME/CFS and Long COVID. This study focuses on a crucial and emerging area of investigation: the role of autoantibodies—antibodies that mistakenly target a person’s own tissues—in the long-term neurological symptoms seen in patients with ME/CFS.
Dr. Iwasaki’s lab will investigate whether these autoantibodies can actually cause symptoms such as fatigue, pain, cognitive issues, and motor dysfunction by introducing patient-derived antibodies into mice and analyzing their effects.
The team will also use an advanced technology (called HuProt) to scan all human proteins to find which ones are targeted by specific autoantibodies. Autoantibodies against specific human proteins may be effective biomarkers—measurable features that help us diagnose patients quicker or customize how we treat each patient.
This kind of translational research is essential to turning biological discoveries into real-world therapies.
“We created the Catalyst Awards to meet a clear need: pushing breakthrough science forward now, not later,” said Emily Taylor, President and CEO of Solve M.E. “Dr. Iwasaki is pursuing a bold, high-potential investigation, and we are honored to support her work. Our mission is driven by the patient community which has long deserved answers, action, and hope. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate World ME Day than to demonstrate our commitment to finding treatments and cures for the millions who suffer from this devastating and underfunded disease.”
Why This Study Matters to the Patient Community:
- Links Autoimmunity to ME/CFS: Helps determine whether immune system dysfunction is a root cause of neurological [SB3] symptoms in ME/CFS.
- Lays the Groundwork for Targeted Treatments: Could identify which patients benefit most from existing immune-based therapies (like B-cell depletion or antibody-blocking drugs).
- Advances Diagnostic Tools: Could find biomarkers that lead to the development of long-overdue diagnostic tests.
- Bridges the Gap Between Long COVID and ME/CFS: Builds on recent research in long COVID, creating momentum for both communities.
- Centers Patient Experience: Is directly informed by the real-life neurological symptoms and struggles of people living with ME/CFS.
“This funding will allow us to deepen our search for biological clues that could finally lead to diagnostic tools and personalized treatments,” said Dr. Iwasaki. “We’re incredibly grateful to Solve M.E. and its donors for making this work possible—and for recognizing how essential patient-driven science is.”
We believe Dr. Iwasaki’s study represents a scientific turning point, with the power to unlock answers and offer hope to the millions affected worldwide who have waited far too long for treatments and cures.
Congratulations to Dr. Iwasaki!
Register for our July 31st webinar with Dr. Iwasaki here:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_byWyT5GoQfyLwYP3t0qruw
