STAT+: ME/CFS research program shuts down at Columbia after Trump cuts
ME/CFS, which affects millions of Americans, has few dedicated research centers. Now the one at Columbia has been shut down over Trump funding cuts.
A large research program into myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome, or ME/CFS, has been forced to shut down because of Trump administration cuts earlier this month to Columbia University’s funding, one of its top researchers said.
The Center for Solutions for ME/CFS was actively working on multiple research projects to better understand a chronic condition believed to affect millions of Americans. ME/CFS patients have struggled for decades to get a clear definition of their condition, and to identify therapies or non-pharmacological approaches that can help.
The Columbia center, housed in the public health school, is one of few places in the country fully devoted to studying the disabling condition. It had been receiving money from the National Institutes of Health, which slashed about $250 million in grants to Columbia after Trump alleged the school failed to crack down on antisemitism.
