Network Collaborator ICanCME Secures Continued Funding for the Next 5 Years

The ICanCME Research Network has announced continued funding for the next five years to support Canadian research into Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME), through a $2 million catalyst network grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis (CIHR-IMHA). As a collaborator on this initiative, the Rehabilitation Science Research Network for COVID celebrates this funding announcement.

The funding will support multiple research projects at institutions across the country and will help advance the understanding, diagnosis, and treatment of ME, improving the lives of people living with this debilitating disease in Canada. It will also contribute to sustain and promote the development of the next generation of scientists in this field. This funding comes at a crucial time. The need to study, understand, and treat ME is more urgent than ever, as at least half of those diagnosed with Long COVID meet the diagnostic criteria for ME. In 2023, Statistics Canada estimated that at least 3.5 million Canadian adults reported experiencing long-term symptoms following a COVID-19 infection, with over half (58.2%) still facing these challenges as of June 2023.