Columbia University receives CFI grant to investigate causes of CFS

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Published on September 28, 2011 at 1:32 AM

From:

http://www.news-medical.net/news/20110928/Columbia-University-receives-CFI-grant\

-to-investigate-causes-of-chronic-fatigue-syndrome.aspx

Columbia University receives CFI grant to investigate causes of chronic

fatigue syndrome

Part of the new Chronic Fatigue Initiative, the research program

will leverage the Center for Infection and Immunity's expertise in

microbe hunting to shed light on possible infectious causes of the

mysterious disorder

The Chronic Fatigue Initiative (CFI) - a new privately funded research

directive focused on chronic fatigue syndrome - announced a substantial

grant to a Columbia University research team to investigate the role of

pathogens in causing chronic fatigue syndrome. The pathogen discovery

and pathogenesis program will be led by Drs. Ian Lipkin and Mady Hornig

of the Center for Infection and Immunity.

Chronic fatigue syndrome is a condition believed to affect about

1million Americans. It is characterized by symptoms similar to those of

common viral infections and can include muscle aches, headache and

extreme fatigue. Its cause is unknown, and currently there is no cure.

Established by a donation of more than $10 million from the Hutchins

Family Foundation, the Chronic Fatigue Initiative will bring together

medical experts from the world's leading research institutions,

including Columbia, Harvard, Stanford and Duke Universities. The

Initiative's initial phase of funding includes support for pathogenesis

research at the Center for Infection and Immunity, and for

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center, where

it will establish the Hutchins Family Fellowship in Infectious Disease

under the direction of Dr. Hammer, professor of epidemiology and

chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at

NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia.

" Dr. Hornig was the prime mover in designing the research plan and will

be shepherding the CFI's research at the Center for Infection and

Immunity, " said Dr. Lipkin, the director of CII.

Dr. Hornig, an associate professor of epidemiology at the Mailman School

of Public Health and director of Translational Research at CII, will

direct research on biomarkers and pathogen discovery for the Chronic

Fatigue Initiative. The research will focus on characterizing the causes

of this enigmatic disorder.

Scientists will examine samples from 200 patients and controls using

state-of-the-art molecular techniques pioneered at CII. Patients will be

recruited across the country from five clinical sites that specialize in

chronic fatigue syndrome.

During the first part of the project, they will screen for already known

pathogens thought to be associated with the disease. Then they will use

unbiased genetic sequencing to help them identify any novel pathogens.

CII scientists will also look at patients' host response profiles - the

immune molecule and antibody signatures in their peripheral blood

samples. This will enable researchers to get a comprehensive picture of

what is happening in individual patients in relation to pathogens to

which they may have been exposed and could lead to the identification of

biomarkers for CFS.

Drs. Lipkin and Hornig will also collaborate with Dr. M. Hammer

and the inaugural Hutchins Family Fellow for Infectious Disease at

NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia - Dr. Gordon.

" This is a truly exciting opportunity to understand the causes of this

often neglected disorder, " said Dr. Hornig. " We hope our findings will

lead to better diagnoses and the development of an effective treatment. "

Source: Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health

<http://www.mailman.hs.columbia.edu/>