You can find the recording of this event on this page.
Huge thanks to Ron and Janet!
We are thrilled to be hosting a talk and Q&A session with Prof Ron Davis on the progress and challenges for a Myalgic Encephalomyelitis / Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) diagnostic. What a prestigious guest to celebrate the 20th anniversary of our charity!
This event is free and open to all.
Abstract
A significant portion of the Stanford Genome Technology Center’s advanced technologies are being focused on myalgic encephalomyelitis / chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), which afflicts up to an estimated approximately two million people in the United States. There is currently no biological test to diagnose ME/CFS and as a result, diagnosing ME/CFS patients is a lengthy and costly process, constituting a fundamental impediment to patient care. This lag in diagnosis also erects barriers to research, complicating patient recruitment for clinical trials of new treatments. To remedy this situation, the SGTC is pioneering several areas of research on ME/CFS in order to search for a cause and establish a diagnostic that can be rapidly disseminated.
The technologies we are developing target the biophysical properties of the cells and molecules, and therefore do not rely on introducing labels or other complex sample preparation techniques. We have successfully applied these technologies to detecting drug resistance, resolving cells and molecules in bodily fluids and tissues, and engineering advanced, multiparametric, wearable biosensors. We have begun applying these methods to understand chronic fatigue syndrome, one of the last major diseases about which almost nothing is known. We anticipate that these technological breakthroughs coupled with data integration of personal molecular profiles will play an instrumental role in the realization of personalized health regimens and disease prevention strategies.
About Ron
Ronald W. Davis, Ph.D., is Professor of Biochemistry and of Genetics at Stanford University School of Medicine, Director of the Stanford Genome Technology Center, and Director of the Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Research Center at Stanford University. Dr. Davis is a member of the National Academy of Sciences. Throughout his career he has made numerous seminal discoveries that have accelerated genetics, genomics, and bioengineering, including over 70 patented technologies that have launched numerous successful companies. His contributions have been recognized by the Gruber Genetics Prize, the Genetics Society of America Medal, the Warren Alpert Prize, and the Personalized Medicine World Conference Luminary Award. In 2013, he was named one of the 7 World’s Greatest Inventors by The Atlantic. He now is devoted to finding a cure for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS).