Return On Your Investment: Gordon Broderick, PhD

The most recent research grants funded by the CFIDS Association of America have supported six principal investigators and the projects that were evaluated to have the highest scientific and strategic merit among those submitted during our 2008 cycle.  We awarded funding totaling $647,940 to support these research studies, thanks to the generosity of our donors. This report builds on earlier progress updates and we’ll continue to keep you informed about additional outcomes you made possible. A condensed version of this report was originally published in the summer-fall 2011 issue of our print publication, SolveCFS. You can find links to other materials about Dr. Broderick’s research at the bottom of this page and links to reports on the other five projects here: http://www.research1st.com/2011/11/28/accelerate/. 

Principal Investigator: Gordon Broderick, PhD

Institution: University of Alberta

Collaborators:

• Renee Taylor, PhD: University of Illinois-Chicago
• Ben Katz, MD: University of Illinois-Chicago
• Sol Efroni, PhD: National Center for Biotechnology Information and Weizmann Institute

Project Title: Molecular patterns of persistent immune activation in a post-infectious adolescent cohort

Objective: To use network analysis of gene expression and endocrine measures to identify biomarkers that describe the events from infectious mononucleosis (IM) to post-infection CFS.

Preliminary Outcomes:

Funding: Three new federal awards from the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Defense totaling more than $3.5 million

Publications:

• A formal analysis of cytokine networks in chronic fatigue syndrome. Brain, Behavior and Immunity. 2010 Oct;24(7):1209–17. Link: http://1.usa.gov/tiyNsp
• Cytokine expression as a potential prognostic indicator in post-infectious fatigue. Cytokine. 2010; 52(1–2): SS11–7,81. Link: http://bit.ly/uAfBDS
• Plasma neuropeptide Y: a biomarker for symptom severity in CFS. Behavioral and Brain Functions. 2010 Dec 29;5:76. Link: http://bit.ly/fjCQRJ
• Using an agent-based model to analyze the communication network of the immune response. Theoretical Biology and Medical Modelling. 2011 January 19. Link: http://1.usa.gov/u8UspF
• A pilot study of immune network remodeling under challenge in Gulf War illness. Brain, Behavior and Immunity. 2011 Feb; 25(2): 302–13. Link: http://1.usa.gov/sMLFpf
• Cytokine expression profiles of immune imbalance in post-mononucleosis chronic fatigue. Journal of Translational Medicine. 2012, 10:191. Link: http://bit.ly/RUZ73T

What has the Association’s support meant to your research?

This figure shows the differences between “communication networks” of immune proteins in healthy controls (left) and CFS patients (right).

Dr. Broderick: “So many things that it’s actually difficult to put into words. First and foremost, the Association has been and continues to be our essential portal to the patient population. The Association offers a clear rallying point around which researchers can congregate and begin to organize as a community. This is essential if we are to deploy a clear research strategy, one that avoids unnecessary duplication and maximizes the delivery of tangible results to the patient population and their families. Through the Association and its supporters, we are slowly becoming one much larger and much better coordinated virtual research laboratory, one with clear goals and where our roles and interactions as scientists, clinicians and educators are beginning to crystallize. This sense of community has been a vital motivator and has kept our group engaged and focused, enabling us to weather the criticism of more traditional academia and the comparatively barren funding landscape.

“All of this gives CFIDS Association funding a very special meaning. With every dollar being contributed by patients and their families, these projects represent a sacred trust if there ever were one. Looking back, the impact that these donations have had is nothing short of inspiring. They have changed the research landscape for CFS. Key preliminary findings were made possible as a direct result of the patients, their families and the governance of the Association. In turn, these findings have given us a solid scientific beachhead from which to apply for much larger grants. Indeed, results generated with  association-directed patient donations have allowed us to leverage $125,000 in seed funding into three multi-year operating grants from the Department of Defense (DOD) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) totaling over $3.5 million. None of this would have been possible without preliminary research supported by patient donations administered under the stewardship of the Association.

“Also important is the role of this funding in training future clinicians in an area of practice sorely lacking in first-line care providers. Through its support of summer studentships in our laboratory, the Association has contributed to the research training of five undergraduate medical students and two post-doctoral research staff in the endocrine and immune abnormalities associated with CFS. The medical students alone went on to publish three papers in well-respected scientific journals, with two more currently in preparation. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, these patient-funded seed projects are promoting important changes in government research policy, the inclusion of CFS as a research topic in the recent U.S. Department of Defense funding mechanisms (see page 10) being only one example.” 

More Resources (most recent listed first):

• “Observations on the early success of rituximab,” article by Dr. Broderick (Research1st, Oct. 21, 2011)
• “IACFS/ME international conference summary,” article by Dr. Charles Lapp, including presentation by Dr. Broderick (Research1st, Oct. 13, 2011)
• “ME: International Consensus Criteria,” Journal of Internal Medicine, Aug. 22, 2011
• “International case definition published for myalgic encephalomyelitis,” summary of new definition published in the Journal of Internal Medicine, of which Dr. Broderick was a co-author (Research1st, July 25, 2011)
• “Meeting Summary: ME/CFS State of the Knowledge Workshop,” article by Jennie Spotila, JD, including presentation by Dr. Kathy Light (Research1st, June 28, 2011)
• “Members of Scientific Advisory Board announced,” Dr. Broderick and 11 others named to Association’s SAB (Research1st, June 10, 2011)
• Association research program update, webinar by Dr. Suzanne Vernon about three research projects, including Dr. Broderick’s (May 5, 2010) (Webinar slides)
• “Association researchers making headway,” update by Dr. Suzanne Vernon about Dr. Broderick’s project and others funded by the Association (Jan. 6, 2010)
• “Banbury Meeting: Perfect setting, packed agenda, productive dialogue, promising outcomes,” report on the Association’s mid-term investigator meeting (Research1st, Oct. 6, 2009)
• “Post-mono CFS in teen girls,” article about study on which Dr. Broderick’s research is based (Research1st, July 30, 2009)
• “Association launches first funded CFS research network,” article by Kim McCleary about the Association’s first investigator meeting (Research1st, Feb. 1, 2009)
• “PLoS Computational Biology highlights CFS study,” (Research1st, Jan. 24, 2009)
• “Recipe for discovery,” a profile of Dr. Broderick and his research (CFIDS Chronicle, winter 2009)
• Sponsored research program of the CFIDS Association of America , description of the Association’s program including descriptions of grants funded (Research1st, May 2011, with periodic updates)

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