Robert Saunders (aka McMullen)
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roberthmcmullen.bsky.social
Robert Saunders (aka McMullen)
@roberthmcmullen.bsky.social
420 followers 270 following 230 posts
Author of "stranger and stranger”, letter writer, advocate and fundraiser for biomedical ME/CFS research.
Posts Replies Media Videos
roberthmcmullen.bsky.social
Excellent review of ME/CFS research in 2025: mecfsscience.org/2025-looking...
December 30, 2025 at 2:25 PM
roberthmcmullen.bsky.social
“Half the harm that is done in this world is due to people who want to feel important. They don't mean to do harm; but the harm does not interest them. Or they do not see it, or they justify it because they are absorbed in the endless struggle to think well of themselves."​

TS Eliot
December 29, 2025 at 7:07 PM
roberthmcmullen.bsky.social
I’m sharing this mostly because it took me so long to understand the joke.
mooseallain.bsky.social Moose Allain @mooseallain.bsky.social · Aug 8
Mathematicians get their kicks on 8.1240384
December 21, 2025 at 4:50 PM
Reposted by Robert Saunders (aka McMullen)
mecfsskeptic.bsky.social
1) New factsheet: ME/CFS - information for medical professionals (6 pages).

Written by Prof. Emeritus Jonathon Edwards and members of the Science for ME forum. A valuable text, useful to bookmark. A couple of quotes from key paragraphs 👇
December 15, 2025 at 8:47 AM
Reposted by Robert Saunders (aka McMullen)
tomkindlon.bsky.social
Science for ME Fact Sheet 3: ME/CFS Information for Medical Professionals by Prof. Jonathan Edwards and members of the S4ME forum

www.s4me.info/docs/Health_...

Screenshot from Science for ME weekly update

#MyalgicEncephalomyelitis #ChronicFatigueSyndrome #MEcfs #CFS #PwME
Science for ME Fact Sheet 3: ME/CFS Information for Medical Professionals by Prof. Jonathan Edwards and members of the S4ME forum. The seven page fact sheet covers definition, diagnosis, core and additional features, management, support, and the particular needs of people with severe and very severe ME/CFS. "... recognition of ME/CFS as a valid clinical/biological entity and committed interest from research scientists provide hope that progress in both biology and treatment will be made in the near future. In the meantime, ensuring general supportive care to make life more tolerable and minimise unnecessary harm is an essential need that is still seldom met."
December 16, 2025 at 1:48 AM
Reposted by Robert Saunders (aka McMullen)
actionforme.bsky.social
Recording from the LOCOME Project webinar now available!

The webinar took place on Dec 5 & shared the projects final findings & discussed the next steps.

Learn more about these findings, alongside discussions from the panel by watching the recording on our YouTube channel 👇

youtu.be/ITZ3LzZ0NAA
Graphic from Action for ME promoting the LOCOME Research Project webinar recording that is now available to watch on Action for ME’s YouTube channel. Top half is a photo of a gene. Action for ME logo in top right corner.
December 12, 2025 at 10:45 AM
roberthmcmullen.bsky.social
Petition calling on the Norwegian Government to fund a new clinical study of Darartumumab for ME/CFS.

c.org/VTqR9NgJqY
Sign the Petition
Call for Funding a New Clinical Study on Daratumumab for ME/CFS
c.org
December 12, 2025 at 12:04 PM
Reposted by Robert Saunders (aka McMullen)
meassociation.org.uk
1/2: Driving discovery: The ME Association invests £1.1m into pioneering research programme!

We are incredibly proud to unveil news of our latest investment into ground-breaking research to help world-leading scientists uncover shared pathways between ME/CFS and Long Covid.

#pwME
IMAGE DESCRIPTION: Photo if a scientist holding blood vials. Photo of Professor Danny Altman. Heading - The ME Association is finding Imperial College London scientists in £1.1m ground-breaking research study. Imperial, Ramsay Research Fund, and ME Association logos. IMAGE DESCRIPTION: Small photo of someone getting a blood test. Wording - The ME Association is investing £1.1m into the Rosetta Stone study - the largest ever single investment in biomedical research by any charity in this field, and the largest research project of its kind. Arrow indicating to slide to the next picture IMAGE DESCRIPTION: Small photo of someone having a saliva swab. Wording - Top scientists at Imperial College London will lead the three-year Rosetta Stone study, conducting side-by-side cellular and molecular analyses of ME/CFS and Long Covid. Arrow indication you should slide to the right to the next picture. IMAGE DESCRIPTION: Small photo of people wording in a lab. Wording - This will offer an unprecedented look into what these conditions share, which may take us closer to diagnostic biomarkers and treatment pathways. Arrow indicating you should slide right.
December 10, 2025 at 9:10 AM
Reposted by Robert Saunders (aka McMullen)
actionforme.bsky.social
(1/4) 🧬 @precisionlife.bsky.social has released exciting results from the LOCOME project

Using DecodeME and other datasets, LOCOME has identified a number of genetic signals and biological pathways that may be involved in ME.
December 4, 2025 at 8:26 AM
Reposted by Robert Saunders (aka McMullen)
cgatist.bsky.social
Delighted how @precisionlife.bsky.social and @actionforme.bsky.social et al used consented @decodemestudy.bsky.social data to
-replicate #MEcfs genetic signal &
-show its shared/distinct genetics with Long Covid.
Next: replicate ME/CFS subtypes w/ targeted therapies
www.medrxiv.org/content/10.6...
Identification of Novel Reproducible Combinatorial Genetic Risk Factors for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis in the DecodeME Patient Cohort and Commonalities with Long COVID
Background: Myalgic encephalomyelitis (also known as ME/CFS or simply ME) has severely impacted the lives of tens of millions of people globally, but the disease currently has no accurate diagnostic t...
www.medrxiv.org
December 4, 2025 at 8:13 AM
roberthmcmullen.bsky.social
For the first time, I’ve decided to ask for donations to @actionforme.bsky.social for Christmas, largely due to the work they’ve done with @decodemestudy.bsky.social.

Donation can be made here: www.facebook.com/share/1aDFzQ...

I will ask for any money raise to go towards their research work.
Redirecting...
www.facebook.com
December 2, 2025 at 4:41 PM
Reposted by Robert Saunders (aka McMullen)
torstenbell.bsky.social
Rightly lots of debates about growth this weekend - rightly because it was low productivity growth that saw wages entirely flatline during the 2010s.
November 30, 2025 at 12:00 PM
Reposted by Robert Saunders (aka McMullen)
mecfsskeptic.bsky.social
1) Dr. Michael Peluso will lead a big ME/CFS project called CHIME.

The infrastructure first built for HIV, then used for Long Covid in the LIINC study, will now also help with studying pre-pandemic ME/CFS

The research will focus on gut biopsies and PET-CT scans.
November 27, 2025 at 9:37 AM
Reposted by Robert Saunders (aka McMullen)
mecfsskeptic.bsky.social
1) INFO FOR RESEARCHERS: The charity ME Research UK (MERUK) has an open call for PhD-level research funding.

Applicants should submit an Outline Proposal Form before Friday, 9 January 2026.
November 18, 2025 at 2:30 PM
roberthmcmullen.bsky.social
It's Double Votes Weekend at MyGivingCircle. Please help me support ME Research UK by voting for free at : mygivingcircle.org/me-research-...
Vote for ME Research UK to share in £300,000 of grants on Double Votes Weekend
It's Double Votes Weekend and every Vote/Donation counts as double the votes.
mygivingcircle.org
November 17, 2025 at 12:50 AM
Reposted by Robert Saunders (aka McMullen)
cgatist.bsky.social
Available to buy now: One Red Leaf at a Time Greetings Cards.

All proceeds go to our #MEcfs research @uoe-igc.bsky.social.

Thank you @drjogreer.bsky.social & Dr Clare Raynor!

theredtreeandme.substack.com/p/one-red-le...
#oneredleafatatime
One Red Leaf at a Time Greetings Cards - Raising funds for research into Myalgic Encephalomyelitis
Since so many of you have asked, greetings cards featuring images from the Red Leaf Creative Collaborative are now available to purchase.
theredtreeandme.substack.com
November 16, 2025 at 12:36 PM
Reposted by Robert Saunders (aka McMullen)
meassociation.org.uk
1/2: MP Tessa Munt has tabled a debate on ME/CFS in Westminster Hall on 19 November 2025 from 4:30pm until 5:30pm
 
Please write to your MP and ask them to attend the debate next week!

https://whatson.parliament.uk/event/cal53589

#pwME #MyalgicE #MECFS #WriteToYourMP #Parliament #Debate
IMAGE DESCRIPTION: Photo of the Houses of Parliament. Photo of MP Tessa Munt. Heading - MP Tessa Munt has tabled a debate on ME/CFS in Westminster Hall on 19 November 2025 at 4:30pm
November 13, 2025 at 3:03 PM
Reposted by Robert Saunders (aka McMullen)
cgatist.bsky.social
Interested in ME/CFS research?
Want to do a PhD with @aryback.bsky.social, @avakhamseh.bsky.social, @sjoerdvbeentjes.bsky.social & @cgatist.bsky.social?
Then apply for a *funded* Future Medicine PhD Fellowship.
See: www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
Please contact us to discuss before applying.
Personalised blood-based biomarkers for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis / Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) symptom severity at University of Edinburgh on FindAPhD.com
PhD Project - Personalised blood-based biomarkers for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis / Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) symptom severity at University of Edinburgh, listed on FindAPhD.com
www.findaphd.com
October 28, 2025 at 8:27 PM
roberthmcmullen.bsky.social
Refreshingly progressive letter in today’s Times: www.thetimes.com/comment/lett...
Sir, No one likes paying more tax. My heart sank when I got my first tax estimate after moving to Denmark, a regular in the top three of highest-taxed nations. But now I think about how easy it is to get a doctor’s appointment, about the highly subsidised childcare, the fact that students get paid to go to university or college, the near-total absence of potholes, the excellent cycle paths, the army of gardeners that tend public spaces, the day-trip-worthy libraries, the generous state pension, the entirely publicly funded nursing homes… And I ask myself not whether Danes pay too much tax, but whether Britons pay enough? David Reay Sonderborg, Denmark
November 6, 2025 at 1:19 PM
Reposted by Robert Saunders (aka McMullen)
tomkindlon.bsky.social
New Trial By Error Interview--with Irish psychologist Brian Hughes @bmhughes.bsky.social --

Links:
crowdfund.berkeley.edu/project/47768
&
www.youtube.com/watch?v=0K75...

Screenshot is latest update David Tuller @davetuller1.bsky.social has sent out by email to previous donors.

#MEcfs #LongCovid
Berkeley's crowdfunder for Trial By Error has reached 79% of the goal, with a few days left. Here's the link: https://crowdfund.berkeley.edu/project/47768 ********** My friend and occasional co-author Brian Hughes, a psychology professor at the University of Galway, in Ireland, has long sought to counter the psychogenic framing of ME, ME/CFS, and Long COVID. In a new book, “Psychology’s Quiet Conservatism: How a Supposedly Woke Science Promotes Capitalism and Protects Privilege.” he explains why the psychogenic approach is fundamentally regressive and ends up depriving people of the medical care they need and deserve. I have interviewed Professor Hughes about the book: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0K75eNkaL4Q Here's a brief description from the publisher: "Psychology is often seen as a progressive discipline — a champion of social justice, diversity, and liberal values. But this provocative book challenges that assumption. It argues that psychology, from its historical entanglements with eugenics and colonialism to its modern-day focus on individualism, has long served to reinforce the status quo."
November 4, 2025 at 8:12 PM
Reposted by Robert Saunders (aka McMullen)
miriametucker.bsky.social
"Graded exercise" is neither supported by evidence nor recommended for people with an illness defined by worsening with exercise. #mecfs #longcovid www.medscape.com/viewarticle/...
No Evidence Supports Using Graded Exercise for ME/CFS
Studies examining the effects of activity-based interventions haven’t required post-exertional malaise as a core criterion for the now-termed ‘myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.’
www.medscape.com
October 31, 2025 at 1:18 PM
Reposted by Robert Saunders (aka McMullen)
aryback.bsky.social
Want to join our amazing team for a PhD in ME/CFS research as part of a funded Future Medicine PhD Fellowship?
See: www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
We offer: Exciting and rigorous science, PPI, truly interdisciplinary and fantastic research culture!

Please contact us to discuss before applying!
Personalised blood-based biomarkers for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis / Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) symptom severity at University of Edinburgh on FindAPhD.com
PhD Project - Personalised blood-based biomarkers for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis / Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) symptom severity at University of Edinburgh, listed on FindAPhD.com
www.findaphd.com
October 28, 2025 at 11:23 PM
Reposted by Robert Saunders (aka McMullen)
tomkindlon.bsky.social
🧵
Thanks very much to my good friend, Orla Ní Chomhraí, for bravely giving a 6-minute talk about my #MECFS story & work to a crowd of 470 people at the Belvedere College (past pupils’) Union dinner on Friday where I was presented with the Social Justice award.

#PwME @irishmecfsassoc.bsky.social
1/
Photo of Belvedere Union president, John Reynolds, Orla Ní Chomhraí & me
October 24, 2025 at 7:53 PM
roberthmcmullen.bsky.social
“Grief sits heavily indeed when it must be stared full in the face, day after day. But joy, conversely, soars high in a life stripped bare. How intense is the beauty of the sky or a spring flower when days are bleak.”

Another beautifully written blog by @naomiwhitt.bsky.social
On Gratitude and Grief
Through many years living with severe illness, I’ve come to know a lot about emotions.  From the sorrow and regret of a life lived so differently to anything that might have been chosen; to th…
alifehidden.com
October 25, 2025 at 12:12 PM
roberthmcmullen.bsky.social
@georgemonbiot.bsky.social I’m sure you will be delighted to learn that Dame Clare Gerada, Lady Wessley, has been appointed to the House of Lords. Judging by the responses to the congratulatory RCGP post on X she appears to be nearly as unpopular with drs as she is with ME/CFS patients.
October 24, 2025 at 2:38 PM