Important update & first look at ‘spit kit’

Blog updated November 2021: DecodeME will launch in the new year. It will launch in two phases, the first starting in January 2022. Read the full update.

Important update: DecodeME will launch a few weeks later than planned.

We know how important this study is to you and everyone in the M.E./CFS community, so we need to make sure everything is 100% right before launching for the 27,000+ people already interested in taking part.

Data protection is one of the things we must get right. Professionals are further testing the study’s web portal and its security, which will take a little more time than expected.

Keeping your health information safe is essential, and we know it’s really important to you too from your messages and webinar questions.

We do not yet have an exact date for the launch. We will, of course, update you when we’re ready. You won’t miss it as we’ll email you (if you've registered your interest) and post on social media.

Doing the world’s biggest genetic study of M.E./CFS takes time. We appreciate your patience and enthusiasm for the study. We know even a few weeks' wait feels like such a long time when people with M.E./CFS have waited so long for a study like this.

Right now, the team (including patients and their representatives) continues to work really hard. So much is happening behind the scenes – so we wanted to share a couple of things we are excited about.

Content warning: saliva.

EXCLUSIVE: Your first look at the 'spit kit'

These are taken from a video we're preparing on how to use the kit. (There will also be written and audio instructions.)

The team spent time carefully preparing this kit and its instructions, as it has to be as easy as possible for severely-affected people to use. We’re still fine tuning it, so it may change.

BIG MILESTONE: We received ethics approval, with the Research Ethics Committee giving a ‘favourable opinion’ of our research. This means the team demonstrated our research will be done in a responsible and ethical way – something that’s so important for the M.E./CFS community.

We will be in touch very soon with a more detailed update. Have questions? You can email us, contact us via our social media pages, or save them for our upcoming webinar (more details soon!)

Here are 3 things you can do to help before the study launches:
1) Watch our latest webinar.
2) Read our blogs and FAQs for more information on the study.
3) Spread the word: become a social media ambassador, or get information for your support group.

Thanks so much for your patience. We can’t do this study without you.
Sonya.

Sonya Chowdhury.
Chair of DecodeME's Management Group.