Long Covid and ME patients hopeful about Rosetta Stone study

A £1.1m Rosetta Stone study at Imperial College will analyse immune and microbiome markers in people with Long Covid and ME/CFS; the three-year project will study 250 people with each condition alongside matched healthy controls.

Families affected by Long Covid and myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME/CFS) have expressed hope about a new biomedical study that aims to compare the two conditions. The Rosetta Stone study is funded by the ME Association and carried out at Imperial College London to look for biomarkers and to build an immunological profile. Parents and adult patients report persistent fatigue, cognitive problems and daily limitations, and some describe difficulty accessing suitable education and care. Researchers say the work responds to calls for more biomedical research into similarities and differences between Long Covid and ME/CFS. Key facts: - The ME Association has provided £1.1m to fund the Rosetta Stone study at Imperial College London. - The three-year study will recruit 250 people with ME/CFS and 250 with Long Covid, alongside matched healthy groups. - Stool, blood and saliva samples from volunteer participants will be analysed to build an immunological profile and search for biomarkers. - The project will collaborate with the DecodeME team in Edinburgh and the ME/CFS Biobank at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. - Medical advisers and researchers reported that a significant proportion of people with Long Covid meet diagnostic criteria for ME/CFS and that further biomedical study is needed. Summary: The study will run for three years and will analyse biological samples to clarify immune and microbiological features that Long Covid and ME/CFS may share or differ on. Its findings are intended to inform future clinical research, and specific outcomes or changes to care are undetermined at this time.