360 sporting figures back Beth Dobbin’s appeal for ME research funding

A letter signed by 360 sporting figures has backed former sprinter Beth Dobbin's appeal for increased ME research funding and a meeting with Prime Minister Andy Burnham. BBC Sport reported on Monday that the supporters include Dina Asher-Smith, Tom Daley, David Moyes, Emma Hayes and Millie Bright.

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Among the signatories are 114 Olympians and Paralympians, including Laura Muir, Eilish McColgan and Adam Gemili. Dobbin wrote to the prime minister on October 21 and had not received a response, the BBC reported. She said the support from across sport had deeply moved her.

Dobbin represented Great Britain at the Tokyo Olympics and holds the Scottish 200m record. ME Research UK highlighted those achievements in its account of her campaign, alongside her description of losing her independence and ability to work or exercise. The charity reported that she spends more than 22 hours a day in bed.

The campaign is also supported by Action for ME and ThereForME, which published a joint briefing on October 27. According to Action for ME, the organisations want the government to close a £15 million funding gap for Sequence ME and Long Covid, a project using long-read whole-genome sequencing to investigate the conditions' underlying causes.

Action for ME said the government had contributed £4.75 million to the project, but that a substantial shortfall remained even after charitable contributions. The charity warned that, without the additional money, a third of the ME samples would not be sequenced and the study's Long Covid arm would not proceed.

The briefing also calls for a wider programme addressing biomedical research priorities identified by patients, carers and clinicians. It seeks a long-term research strategy with annual funding targets and investment to build research capacity, rather than relying only on individual projects. MPs are being encouraged to raise Dobbin's appeal with the prime minister.

In a response previously given to BBC Sport, the Department of Health and Social Care said it was supporting genetic research and a clinical trial of potential treatments. It also pointed to a plan developed with the ME community to improve research, awareness and support.