DxTerity – a Los Angeles company specializing in diagnostics – is conducting the Chrome ME/CFS study
(Apologies for two email blasts for those who got them. We had a scheduling mix-up)
A study seeking to uncover a diagnostic biomarker for chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) that you can participate in from your home? That was unexpected.
I had never heard of Dxterity or the CHROME (CHRonic fatigue syndrOME) study until a couple of days ago. The company – a biological diagnostic company based in Los Angeles – has four other studies underway. Besides their catchy titles, the studies had two things in common: they were all focused on more cheaply and effectively monitoring autoimmune diseases.
- LIFT (Lupus Interval Monitoring to Manage Disease Flare and Enable Treatment Optimization) study for Lupus
- EMPOWER study (Evaluating Multiple Sclerosis Patients ShOWing A GEnomic Signature of Therapy Response) for multiple sclerosis
- BRAVO (Baseline Rheumatoid Arthritis Verification Outcomes)
The mRNA Revolution
Dxterity is doing that by honing in on the same part of the genome that powered the spectacularly successful Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. The new mRNA vaccines vanquished the need to inject a weakened or dead form of the virus into a person. Instead, by using mRNA to send a message straight to the immune system, the new vaccines are producing a precise and effective immune response.
As Jim Gilly explained, its messenger RNA (mRNA) – not DNA – that does the actual work in the cell. Our DNA may provide our genomic template, but mRNA is where the action is. Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier won the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for figuring out how to use mRNA to edit (using CRISPR) our genes.
Dxterity is using RNA in the CHROME study in another way. It believes that tracking the changes in RNA expression provides a cheaper and more effective way to diagnose and treat diseases. Its three autoimmune disease efforts underway, for instance, use RNA analyses to more precisely monitor the health of people with these diseases – and at a much reduced cost. Using changes in gene expression should, for instance, enable patients to catching disease flares earlier, and be treated more effectively.
The mRNA Revolution Comes to ME/CFS
The CHROME ME/CFS study will be assessing mRNA (picture), metabolites and DNA
ME/CFS is obviously different. It has no validated treatments. Finding a diagnostic biomarker, on the other hand, is near the top of just about everyone’s list – and that’s what Dxterity hopes to do with this study.
By using the same approach which has uncovered what they believe are diagnostic biomarkers for lupus, multiple sclerosis, and rheumatoid arthritis, they hope to do the same for ME/CFS.
Time will tell, of course, if that will work. A lot will depend on the genes, metabolites, etc. they’re looking at. Other ME/CFS studies have looked at more genes, or more metabolites, or more DNA, but none has attempted to put all three together in the manner that Dxterity has.
Dxterity appears to recognize what they’re getting into. Gilly described the ME/CFS term as a kind of “broad descriptor” which may contain many different subsets. Still, they feel that ME/CFS is ripe for this kind of analysis.
For one, it appears to be an inflammatory chronic disease, possibly with an autoimmune component – and that’s pretty much Dxterity’s bailiwick. They believe their RNA testing gives them a particularly good window into immune disorders.
The CHROME ME/CFS Study
The ME/CFS study will assess the expression of approximately 50 genes, 18 metabolites, and some DNA. A small questionnaire is also involved.
Because Dxterity has developed a proprietary way to preserve the very fragile mRNA without the need for refrigeration they’re able to bypass labs (thus reducing costs) and can send the kit straight to your home. The study simply requires a finger stick for blood, a small urine sample, and filling out a brief questionnaire.
Besides possibly forwarding the science for ME/CFS, you’ll get a $50 thank you Visa card for your trouble.
Their target is 200 participants. After they get the samples, it will take several months to tease out what the data is telling them. They emphasized that this is an exploratory study. Nothing is guaranteed.
I had the impression that the Bristol Squibb Meyers (BSM) drug company was directly involved. It isn’t but Gilly said BSM does have some possible therapies it believes could apply to ME/CFS.
Whether or not the study works it’s great to see a diagnostics company taking a stab at ME/CFS. The study is open to U.S. residents.
- Apply to be in the CHROME study here.
- Check out FAQs here.
- Check out the Zoom interview here. (Somehow, I only got half my head in the picture much of time..sigh)
(Health Rising is not affiliated with Dxterity in any way.)
Amazing work Cort. You are really providing a landmark platform with Health Rising. I volunteered right away for their study. If only their noble intentions can come to fruition, but they have a tough row to hoe with ME CFS. I think of all the great minds who have tried to uncover the mystery of this ungodly condition we live with . We can hope and pray that somehow their methodology can tease out some new and actually usable data for diagnostics and treatments. We’ve got lots of data going these days, but not the answers that are needed. Thank you for having our back Cort.
Thanks. My thoughts as well actually. If I got it right they’re using much the same platform – with some additions – that they used in the other diseases to hunt for a biosignature that defines part or all of ME/CFS. Let’s hope they picked the right factors to assess!
Whatever happens how cool that a diagnostics company decided to take on ME/CFS. And how cool that this can be done at home…No need to go through a lab. That’s due to their proprietary technology. That must save a ton of money.
It was also good to hear that BSM has some drugs they speculate might be helpful.
I signed up as well. I hope the study fills up fast and we have some news to report in the later half of this year.
I so agee regarding Cort and his incredible efforts.
mRNA technique against corona is actually not a vaccination. In the classic way. The vector technique. In fact, mRNA method is a kind of gene therapy. It’s not a vaccine. Isn’t it?
Here’s how Walter Isaacson describes the nRNA vaccines:
https://time.com/5927342/mrna-covid-vaccine/
“Their mission was to engineer messenger RNA carrying the code letters to make part of the coronavirus spike protein—a string that begins CCUCGGCGGGCA … —and to deploy it in human cells.”
“BioNTech launched a crash project to devise a vaccine based on RNA sequences, which Sahin was able to write within days, that would cause human cells to make versions of the coronavirus’s spike protein”
Once the immune system reacted to the spike protein it was ready to quickly marshall its forces to fight off the virus when it appeared.
It took Moderna just over a month to develop the vaccine being used today.
Thank you Cort for your information. Something disturbing. An authoritative virologist has evidence that the spike protein produced by the new mRNA vaccines is toxic and accumulates in the liver, spleen and ovaries, among others.
https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=de&tl=en&u=https://report24.news/virologe-schlaegt-alarm-wir-haben-einen-fehler-gemacht-spike-protein-ist-toxisch/
https://remrvczchnxnesbhib2z62bcda-ac4c6men2g7xr2a-alschner-klartext-de.translate.goog/2021/05/31/spike-protein-in-der-muttermilch-ist-toxisch/
Home page Byram Bridle,
https://ovc.uoguelph.ca/pathobiology/people/faculty/Byram-W-Bridle
Professor Bridle explain:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=up2Ej9t3xck
Thanks for this, Cort.
Do you know how long participants will be expected to report symptoms? Weeks, months, years?
There’s just one questionnaire to fill out once. They may also do follow-up with a small percentage of patients.
Thanks!
God bless you for all the important work you do Cort. It’s exciting to see what’s happening in medicine as we wait to find an answer to our condition. Till that happens you give us the greatest gift possible, HOPE.
IMHO, I would encourage every one who can in whatever financial amount they can to support this blog. A monumental amount of studies are coming online and Cort has ME CFS himself. He is doing yeoman’s work right now on behalf of our community.
:)….I anticipate the same – and that’s a very good problem to have.
This is wonderful news! Can patients who are under 18 participate? Thank you for the wonderful update!
Yes, they can. There are no limits.
Super interesting and exciting! I just signed up. Thanks as always Cort for all you do!
I signed up. Thank you so much for all the work you do Cort.
I’d like to participate buy I can’t walk for six minutes, due to pain.
Do you mean this sudy for men Cort?
Analysis of gender differences in HRV of patients with Myalgic
Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome using mobile-health
technology
https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/21/11/3746
This is a new study that just opened up for men only. I thought I would add it in as well. I’m applying to be in that study, as well.
US residents only accepted in the study
Cort, are you familiar with S.O.T. mRNA therapy? They test your blood for viruses, Lyme and confections then they create antibodies for each infection that are administered by IV. Usually takes about 6 months to kill off the infection. It’s been used mostly for cancer eradication and just within the last few years has moved in our direction. Fascinating possibilities.
Never heard of it – Sounds like potentially a real breakthrough. 🙂
I would sign up in a heart beat if they would actually release the results to the patient…. otherwise it’s just a waste of time because although I want to help the community, I only have enough energy to devote to things that can help me get back on my feet because no one will take care of me besides me.
I hear you. Hopefully enough people will enroll, and the study will go well, and they will find something that will help you and the rest of us.
I’ve in haled titanium dioxide I couldn’t say how much but I had to rework 160,000 tons of pigment as it got contaminated with beads. This work was done at Cristal, Stallingborough, UK. I wore a ffp3 dust mask and all other appropriate ppe. But I found out after I should of wore BA for this job.
My lungs are not filtering oxygen properly and shortness of breath depending on what I do. The lung specialist I’m under has no idea of what titanium dioxide is and not sure what is going on with me but he knows something is not right it’s confusing him. I’ve suffer with GERD polyps in both nostrils which got removed last year. Shadow on the top of my lungs which I believe to be caused by Tickle 4 acid when breathing it in when working in the wash bay. But I really need your help if you can with the way titanium dioxide will affect me and will I get worse. Peak flow is 450 – 470 when I was really ill at the beginning 2018 it was 320 this is when I had to come out of work and never worked since. Another DR said the ffp3 mask did its job and couldn’t do the the damage that its done.
Hope they would communicate/collaborate with Stanford Genome Technology Center in this effort and nobody would reinvent the wheel. The funding and resource are scanty.
In an ideal world they would contact them and work together. The Stanford Genome Center with uber-geneticist Ron Davis would certainly be the first place I would go to collaborate on a study like this. They have access to both genetics and with Chris Armstrong metabolomics expertise.
It looks promising. If they wanted Canadian participants, I’d apply. Since my ME was affected by T2, which affects RNA transcription, I do think that RNA is involved.
Thanks Cort for your continued work on behalf of our community. If the study included Canada, and had feedback to the patients I would participate. Interesting that RA, Lupus and MS are all things I’ve been tested for over the years as the symptoms overlap so much. I wonder if they’ll cross check the results to see if there are subclinical cases of the later ones or overlap in some areas of the findings.
Yes, very interesting to see if there will be overlaps and they are certainly in a position to do that.
Endlich lese ich mal etwas Neues zu ME/CFS. Leider kann ich wohl nicht teilnehmen, da ich in Deutschland lebe. Ich habe schwer zu leiden unter ME, kann nicht mehr arbeiten. Jede neue Entwicklung und Forschung lässt uns Betroffene Hoffnung schöpfen, dass endlich eine wirksame Therapie gefunden wird. Danke dafür an Euch!
Translated to English:
“Finally I read something new about ME/CFS. Unfortunately, I can’t participate because I live in Germany. I have to suffer severely from ME, can no longer work. Every new development and research gives us those affected hope that an effective therapy will finally be found. Thanks to you for that!”
Cort, did they mention if they have or need additional recruiting sources. I can certainly think of many. Staying in touch with you? I think we may have gone a bit off track with confusion about the men’s study and there may be legal reasons regarding U.S. based samples.
I will check in a see where they are at. Ideally, it would be great if they would contact experts like Dr. Bateman, Dr. Klimas, Dr. Peterson, Dr. Chheda and Dr. Kaufman, Dr. Levine and others and get well characterized patients from them.
Having a strong patient cohort is critical.
My thoughts as well.
Cort,
Soo very Grateful for all the work you do especially having ME/CFS! I’ve been sick with ME/CFS & Fibro for almost 24 yrs now. Found your site about 3 yrs ago & all the hope & knowledge that comes with it! I’ve learned so much & have even improved a little because of info I’ve learned from your website. Yep! You bet I signed up for this study! It’s been awhile since I’ve walked for that long but I think I can do it. Every day I wish I could write in the sky a huge Thank You to ALL-doctors, researchers, activist etc.-who are helping to fight this devastating & life changing illness! For so long I thought I was alone! Thank You! Thank You!
Cort,
Are you no longer posting comments and links that show the truth regarding COVID-19 and the potential impact to those with compromised immune systems?
Hi Jorg,
We have never blocked comments regarding questions about COVID-10 and those with compromised immune systems. If I remember correctly, Dr. Klimas is doing a study assessing the immune reactions of people with ME/CFS who get vaccinated.
Hmm, not sure about this.
What I find more interesting is a recent Norwegian paper (not Fluge et al) titled ‘Kynurenine metabolites and ratios differ between Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia and Healthy Controls’ by Groven et al.
Conclusion: ‘Forthcoming studies indicating a causative effect may place kynurenine metabolites as a target for treatment’
Interesting given Robert Phair’s hypothesis.
Thanks
Just read some of his work, yes quite similar, here’s hoping they are converging on something very meaningful here.
I guess Cort is into the selective censorship Biz now. What a pity. I thought this site was about helping people with CFS and informing people regarding the perils of COVID-19 on their health?
II found that sixteen of your comments have gone through. Why would you think we are blocking comments?
This thread is about the CHROME study for helping regarding genetic diagnostics and treatment possibilities through the research of a company called Dxterity. There are plenty of threads regarding Covid, that is where your comments belong, but bashing people that are our advocates doesn’t belong anywhere. Let’s get back on point.
Thank you, Cort, for again unearthing such interesting and relevant stuff.
I hope this company’s research pans out.
I am also interested, having friends with MS, with whether they’ve discovered something new with their method in the MS testing, that helps MS patients. My neurologist was unaware of their work.
I signed up installed the app and submitted surveys and sent samples but have not been able to get any reply regarding questions I had from anyone using the ‘contact us’ form. Also never received any acknowledgement of receipt of my samples or the promised $50 card for participating.
Just to follow-up. I received my 2nd $50 gift card today. I got the first a week ago. I had been thinking that they were waiting until I completed the 2nd questionnaire and test kit samples ( a dupe of the first) – but here they sent a $50 gift card for each. After living with me/cfs for over 40 years now, I would have done this for free. Though I must admit, it came at a bad time (I fractured my leg in May and was on crutches for 12 weeks) and I almost put it aside. That $100 bonus couldn’t have come at a better time. It looks like, as of late this summer, they were still in need of non-me/cfs patients to participate as they sent me an email encouraging me to encourage friends or family to join the study (which I did).
WARNING: 7/29/21 I had completed all of the CHROME Clinical Study requirements – blood & urine samples confirmed received, questionnaires completed.
9/28/21 now 2 months later and I still have not gotten paid $50 card and DxTerity® will not provide a date or time frame when I will get paid.
Cort, what are the names and contact information of government agencies which have oversight on DxTerity®/this clinical study so study participants can file formal complaints?
My trust is gone and I will not be participating in any more clinical studies/trials posted on this site.
clinicaltrials.gov
10/6/21 received gift card
See my addendum comment above. Like mom used to say, “Patience is a virtue”. I feel bad for sounding like I doubted the promised gift card and feel bad about any negative vibes I might have caused – and I’m sure soon you will too. 🙂
What is the outcome of the CHROME study. Can’t find any information on it. BTW, I was never paid or compensated for participating either. No response when I inquired about it.
I have been checking back every so often to view the results. It says the study is completed, but there are still no results. I received 2 gift cards for the two sets of samples I sent. I hope you ended up receiving yours. It is strange that you were unable to contact them. Disappointing.