Nancy Klimas, M.D. a ME and AIDS researcher at the University of Miami in Florida, spent years applying for grants from the National Institutes of Health. She was often given grants, but they were always for her research into the field of AIDS and was consistently turned down for her applications for ME. She would submit proposals that were exactly the same as she had submitted for AIDS, using the exact same language with only the name, “chronic fatigue syndrome,” different. She always got lower ratings on the proposals with the latter attached. She has now won a grant for researching ME from the NIH. Even more amazing is the fact that she got the research grant, at least one part of it, in the field of immunology. (The other is for cognitive behavioral therapy but, with Dr. Klimas doing the research, we’ll at least have an unbiased, nonpsycho- babbler researcher reporting on this area!)

In addition to her study that will be funded by the NIH, she has just started a two-part trial 
using erythropoietin (EPO) on patients that is based on trying to resolve the volume  abnormality found by Drs. David S. Bell and David H.H. Streeten that was first announced  in The National Forum and, subsequently, published in the Journal of Chronic Fatigue  Syndrome. (The article is available to members by request by sending a self-addressed, stamped envelope to the NCF requesting  the Streeten, Bell article.) Dr. Klimas is the co-editor of the JCFS. Although Dr. Bell had tried using EPO on his patients, she felt he was using too high a  dose. Her two-part study with this drug will be to try to find the correct level of units to  administer to those who test positive for low blood volume and then to have a trial using  this dosage in patients to see if it will help. She has been funded, in part, by the manufacturer of this very  expensive drug, Orthobiotech, who has agreed to  provide it for her studies free of charge. (See report of Dr. Klimas’ full lecture in this 
edition.) ¯