As we move through the holiday season, many of us are reflecting on the year – the moments of difficulty, the small steps forward, and the quiet persistence it takes to keep going.
At Solve M.E., one question has been at the heart of our conversations lately:
What does our community need right now?
More than anything, we believe it’s concrete and grounded hope.
Hope that real change is coming, that the science is moving in the right direction, and that the effort our community is putting in together to make progress is working.
That’s why we are rolling out our What’s New in ME/CFS? interview series, where we go straight to the source: the scientists on the front lines of ME/CFS research. We’re asking the questions that matter, and bringing their insights directly to you.
We’re kicking things off with Professor Chris Ponting of the University of Edinburgh, lead researcher of DecodeME – the largest ever genetic study of ME/CFS.
When we asked him, “What has changed in ME/CFS research over the last year?” and he told us:
“It’s now quite normal to do big data studies. That scale gives us the power to find things that smaller studies couldn’t. And now, we’re finding things that are holding up when people try to replicate them.”
That is something we haven’t necessarily been able to say in the past. But now, we can.
As a community, we are so close to making breakthroughs.
In the full interview, Professor Ponting also talks about:
- What discoveries surprised him the most
- How much more could be done with a major increase in funding for ME/CFS
- What he would say to patients who are struggling to stay hopeful
- What he wishes every policymaker understood about ME/CFS
Watch the full interview below or on our YouTube channel.
We hope you’ll tune in, share it with your community, and feel encouraged by the momentum we’re seeing.