Riga Meeting

The second Euromene Coast Action meeting was held in Riga on 29th-30th September 2016 with a welcoming at the Riga University by the chair Modra Murovska (Latvia) and the GH member Uldis Berķis (Latvia).

The COST chair Modra and co-chair Eliana Lacerda (United Kingdom) gave the reports of the WG leaders on the present achievements, identified problems and ways to overcome.

The WG leaders discussed on the first period work tasks.

• The WG1 on epidemiology with the leader Jesus Castro-Marrero (Spain) and Chair Jesus Castro- Marrero (Spain) and Vice-leader Slobodan Sekulic (Serbia) in collaboration with Eliana Lacerda (UK), Jean-Dominique De Korwin (France) focused of ways to collect population based data on the prevalence and survey existing epidemiological data on ME/CFS in participating countries.
• The WG2 of the biomarkers with the leader Carmen Scheibenbogen (Germany) and cin cooperation with the Vice-leader Enrica Capelli (Italy) discussed with other partecipants Evelina Shikova-Lekova (Bulgaria), Julia Blanco (Spain), Thomas Harrer (Germany), Henrik Nielsen (Denmark), Zaiga Nora-Krukle (Latvia), Santa Rasa (Latvia), Jerome Authier (France) on establish special interest groups within the network able to take fragmented research in a harmonised way on specific survey such as the potential immunological, genetic and epigenetic, neuro-imaging and infection-associated biomarkers.
• Derek Pheby (UK) chaired with the vice-leader Julian Blanco (Spain) the WG 3 on socio-economic aspects in collaboration with Uldis Berkis (Latvia) and Asja Lunga (Latvia) concerning a survey in EU countries existing data on economic loss due to ME/CFS because very few studies about economic aspects of ME/CFS had been published. The aim of the group is develop approaches to calculate direct economic loss due to ME/CFS.
• The WG4 leader Elin Bolle Strand (Norway) together with the vice-leader Jerome Authier (France) discussed with other partecipants on survey clinical criterions, guidelines, neurological pictures and treatments used in EU countries on this disease.
• The WG5 leader Evelina Shikova-Lekova (Bulgaria) on conferences, seminars, training schools informed on forthcoming meetings by the end of the first period: Berlin 27 January, 2017: one-day Working group meeting about synchronization progress agenda of the meeting is under preparation and will be distributed soon; Barcelona 16-17 March, 2017: Second Core groups meeting, Work group meeting, First Workshop. Added information and discussions concerning the first training school planned in year 2: Topic - Molecular biomarkers for ME/CFS; Place/Local organizers - Pavia (Italy), Università degli Studi di Pavia/ Enrica Capelli and Lorenzo Lorusso.
• The last WG6 leader Lorenzo Lorusso (Italy) and Vice-leader Anne Marit Mengshoel (Norway) of on dissemination and exploitation, patient involvement, digitalisation discussed on the creation of the project webpage and a survey of existing small/medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and ICT industries in each participating country in order to develop collaborative research. • The final part of the meeting was dedicated to the report of Dr. Eliana Lacerda and Dr. Luis Nacul on the project draft for the Horizon 2020 (application is finished and send in at present); Dr Eliana Lacerda presentation for the Fort Lauderdale, USA meeting (could be fined in Internet and COST website); • Dr Magdalena Budisteanu is nominated and has agreed to work as STSM coordinator during the Els Tobback (Belgium) maternity leave.