Robert Saunders (aka McMullen)'s Avatar

Robert Saunders (aka McMullen)

@roberthmcmullen

Author of "stranger and stranger”, letter writer, advocate and fundraiser for biomedical ME/CFS research.

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11.11.2024
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Latest posts by Robert Saunders (aka McMullen) @roberthmcmullen

Preview
ME/CFS Scandal Follow up The ME/CFS scandal goes much deeper than my 27-minute explainer video. That was just an introduction — how for decades patients were told…

My #MECFS scandal explainer video has just passed 200,000 views.

Given the level of interest, I’ve written a follow-up article covering key examples I didn’t include, as well as some developments since.

medium.com/@abrokenbatt...

19.01.2026 07:53 👍 117 🔁 67 💬 10 📌 6
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Congratulations to @sharonhodgsonmp.bsky.social on her new role Minister for Public Health and Prevention.

Sharon has been a strong supporter of people with ME/CFS and has spoken in a number of parliamentary debates. Here are some highlights from a debate in 2019.

05.03.2026 11:21 👍 47 🔁 20 💬 3 📌 0
A thread on what people with ME/CFS need in the way of service I don't think trying to gather lots of signatories would be a good idea here. there are too many competing political interests. At this stage I am not sure that a signed letter is the way to go in fac...

Jonathan Edwards and other members of @scienceforme.bsky.social are drafting a document on what we want in terms of service provision for ME/CFS. Latest draft here: www.s4me.info/threads/a-th...

All welcome to comment and make suggestions before the document before it is finalised.

26.02.2026 14:46 👍 16 🔁 13 💬 1 📌 0
A thread on what people with ME/CFS need in the way of service I don't think trying to gather lots of signatories would be a good idea here. there are too many competing political interests. At this stage I am not sure that a signed letter is the way to go in fac...

Jonathan Edwards and other members of @scienceforme.bsky.social are drafting a document on what we want in terms of service provision for ME/CFS. Latest draft here: www.s4me.info/threads/a-th...

All welcome to comment and make suggestions before the document before it is finalised.

26.02.2026 14:46 👍 16 🔁 13 💬 1 📌 0
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When @davetuller1.bsky.social asked Professor Jonathan Edwards if he could explain the BACME dysregulation model of ME/CFS.

Full interview: youtu.be/jklUXc1XCYI

Open letter to BACME:
www.s4me.info/threads/an-o...

25.02.2026 18:09 👍 5 🔁 4 💬 0 📌 0
Preview
BBC Radio 4 - Inside Health, Is the tide turning on ME research? The new wave of ME research that could bring clarity to this perplexing condition.

Great to see this. Should be interesting.

BBC Radio 4

Tuesday February 24th at 9.30am

Inside Health:
“Is the tide turning on ME research”? (28 minutes)
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...

#MyalgicEncephalomyelitis #ChronicFatigueSyndrome #MEcfs #CFS #PwME

23.02.2026 21:15 👍 49 🔁 19 💬 3 📌 0
Trial By Error: Interview with Jonathan Edwards about "Therapy Guide" from British Association of Clinicians in ME/CFS | Virology Blog By David Tuller, DrPH The British Association of Clinicians in ME/CFS, known as BACME, defines itself as “a multidisciplinary organisation providing informa ...

The British Association of Clinicians in ME/CFS issued a "therapy guide" last year. Very unsatisfactory. Professor Jonathan Edwards and colleagues have responded in an open letter. I spoke with Professor Edwards about it. virology.ws/2026/02/20/t...

21.02.2026 02:03 👍 50 🔁 19 💬 1 📌 2
Preview
Alzheimer's finger-prick blood test could transform diagnosis, experts say An international trial involving 1,000 volunteers will aim to detect biomarkers associated with the condition.

The UK Dementia Research Institute is part of an international group looking for these proteins. Interestingly, the £1m study looking for ME/CFS blood biomarkers is based at the same institute, presumably using similar technologies meassociation.org.uk/2026/02/new-...

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

21.02.2026 12:33 👍 1 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0

You can donate to the Sequence ME & Long Covid study here:
www.actionforme.org.uk/research-cam...

“Donations will be managed by Action for ME, and restricted to funding the Sequence ME & Long Covid study”

20.02.2026 17:12 👍 4 🔁 6 💬 0 📌 0
Preview
Sequence ME & Long Covid launches We're excited announce the launch of Sequence ME & Long Covid – the world’s largest long-read, whole-genome study of any disease.

“Action for ME, the Schmidt Initiative for Long COVID, and the Complex Disorders Alliance (CODA) announce the launch of Sequence ME & Long Covid – the world’s largest long-read, whole-genome study of any disease.”

Great news but also frustrating that there is no MRC or NIHR funding.

20.02.2026 14:13 👍 2 🔁 2 💬 0 📌 1
Image of a DNA double helix against a soft blue background with light particles. The Action for ME logo appears in the top right corner. Text on the image reads: “Research News – SequenceME and Long Covid study launches. The world’s largest long-read, whole-genome study of any disease.”

Image of a DNA double helix against a soft blue background with light particles. The Action for ME logo appears in the top right corner. Text on the image reads: “Research News – SequenceME and Long Covid study launches. The world’s largest long-read, whole-genome study of any disease.”

Quote from Action for ME CEO Sonya Chowdhury.

Quote from Action for ME CEO Sonya Chowdhury.

Quote from Complex Disorders Alliance CEO Amy Rochlin.

Quote from Complex Disorders Alliance CEO Amy Rochlin.

Quote from Schmidt Iniative for Long Covid CEO Dr John Redd

Quote from Schmidt Iniative for Long Covid CEO Dr John Redd

Today we’re delighted to launch Sequence ME & Long Covid - the world’s largest long-read, whole-genome study of any disease 🔬
🧬 This £20 million ground breaking initiative will explore the root causes of ME and Long Covid, with the aim of accelerating progress towards diagnostics and treatments.

20.02.2026 12:03 👍 60 🔁 28 💬 3 📌 4

Gove? 😱

19.02.2026 12:53 👍 3 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Summary

The document represents a failure to move forward to an evidence-based approach to an illness that is recognised as being long term for many people and, at present, of unknown mechanism. It appears to serve interests of BACME members rather than patients and from our perspective involves a deception that can only perpetuate the lack of trust ME/CFS patients have in the healthcare system. Until now policy has been unclear. This document makes it plain that nothing with any evidence base is on offer and that there is no justification for continuing to commission services based on the proposed model.

With limited resources, we believe the focus must be on medical care of severe and very severe cases, including nutrition and other life support, to reduce unnecessary deaths. The lack of a specialist medical 'home' with a research base has halted progress in knowledge and care in ME/CFS. This neglect cannot continue to be tolerated. Continuing current provision without medical leadership will not result in improved outcomes for patients. Filling the vacuum with well-intentioned, but ineffective 'therapies' is a poor use of resources and therapists’ time.

Summary The document represents a failure to move forward to an evidence-based approach to an illness that is recognised as being long term for many people and, at present, of unknown mechanism. It appears to serve interests of BACME members rather than patients and from our perspective involves a deception that can only perpetuate the lack of trust ME/CFS patients have in the healthcare system. Until now policy has been unclear. This document makes it plain that nothing with any evidence base is on offer and that there is no justification for continuing to commission services based on the proposed model. With limited resources, we believe the focus must be on medical care of severe and very severe cases, including nutrition and other life support, to reduce unnecessary deaths. The lack of a specialist medical 'home' with a research base has halted progress in knowledge and care in ME/CFS. This neglect cannot continue to be tolerated. Continuing current provision without medical leadership will not result in improved outcomes for patients. Filling the vacuum with well-intentioned, but ineffective 'therapies' is a poor use of resources and therapists’ time.

An Open Letter to British Association for Clinicians in ME/CFS (BACME) in Response to the Document ‘Guide to Therapy’, 2025.

www.s4me.info/threads/an-o...

Letter authors:

Jonathan Edwards (professor of connective tissue)
Michelle Bull (physiotherapist)
Joan Crawford (psychologist):

18.02.2026 19:55 👍 15 🔁 12 💬 4 📌 1

A perfect storm given the apparent indifference to upholding basis scientific standards in psychology, as illustrated by the flawed and arguably fraudulent research which has perpetuated the mistreatment of people with ME/CFS.

16.02.2026 09:56 👍 5 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

🧵 of highlighted #MECFS and #LongCovid research papers being discussed this week on the Science for ME forum.

2 - 8 Feb 2026

08.02.2026 21:33 👍 14 🔁 4 💬 1 📌 0
PRIME research project webinar - 21st January 2026
PRIME research project webinar - 21st January 2026 YouTube video by Action For ME

Recording of the PRIME workshop webinar on how AI and other quantitative methodologies have been applied to ME/CFS and Long Covid research – and how they could be used to discover molecular or genetic biomarkers: youtu.be/1sVbGePNpgM?...

30.01.2026 12:14 👍 2 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
Text-message lobbying of senior NICE staff by individuals at NHS England and the Royal College of Psychiatrists in days before ME/CFS guideline pause On August 4 2021, an embargoed copy of the final NICE guideline for ME/CFS — already severely delayed — was distributed to registered stakeholders “for a final factual error check, to enable [stakehol...

Reading about Diane’s experience reminded me of the text from an anonymous individual “associated with the Royal College of Psychiatrists” who tried to persuade the NICE CEO to tamper with the Evidence Review for the 2021 NICE Guideline for ME/CFS: domsalisbury.github.io/mecfs/nice-m...

21.01.2026 20:48 👍 10 🔁 3 💬 1 📌 0

Agree with a lot of the analysis but I don’t understand why he considers Starmer to be “a mostly unserious prime minister”.

14.01.2026 13:31 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

On a different thread Prof Jonathan Edwards writes: “We have been a bit deadpan about Liz Worthey's project but there might be something really important in there. I would like to see more discussion on that.”

www.s4me.info/threads/rati...

13.01.2026 12:45 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0

This paper is being discussed with Liz Worthey on the S4ME forum here: www.s4me.info/threads/unco...

13.01.2026 12:43 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0

People who consider themselves decent, progressive, or left leaning should not only be embarrassed to remain on X in any active capacity - they should be deeply ashamed. The line was crossed long ago.

07.01.2026 13:22 👍 1300 🔁 287 💬 73 📌 21

I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve asked @alastaircampbell2.bsky.social @rory-stewart.bsky.social and @therestpolitics.bsky.social how they justify continuing to use X. It would be interesting to know.

07.01.2026 13:41 👍 6 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
Text:

Sir, President Trump’s claim to have captured Nicolás Maduro to eradicate “drug cartels that have operated with impunity in our hemisphere for far too long” would have more credibility had he not last month pardoned Juan Orlando Hernández, the former president of Honduras, who was convicted of conspiring with drug traffickers to flood the US with hundreds of tonnes of cocaine (“Was it legal for US to strike Venezuela and capture Maduro?”, Jan 6).
Robert Saunders
Balcombe, W Sussex

Text: Sir, President Trump’s claim to have captured Nicolás Maduro to eradicate “drug cartels that have operated with impunity in our hemisphere for far too long” would have more credibility had he not last month pardoned Juan Orlando Hernández, the former president of Honduras, who was convicted of conspiring with drug traffickers to flood the US with hundreds of tonnes of cocaine (“Was it legal for US to strike Venezuela and capture Maduro?”, Jan 6). Robert Saunders Balcombe, W Sussex

Letter from @roberthmcmullen.bsky.social in Times today

06.01.2026 11:48 👍 1 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0

Excellent review of ME/CFS research in 2025: mecfsscience.org/2025-looking...

30.12.2025 14:25 👍 15 🔁 6 💬 1 📌 0

“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

29.12.2025 19:07 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
A patient perspective on enduring symptoms – the unmet need, 2025, Cheston ************************************************************************* Part of the RCP Future Healthcare Journal Special Issue The thread on the editorial for the special issue is here This thread...

Discussion about this paper on S4ME with Katherine Cheston: www.s4me.info/threads/a-pa...

Some concerns expressed about the RCP Future Healthcare Journal Special Issue in which the article was published and the use of the term “enduring symptoms”.

24.12.2025 12:41 👍 4 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0

25.8069758?

22.12.2025 09:40 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

But pleased to discover that it is available for free on Press Reader with library membership.

22.12.2025 01:19 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Sad to see the Observer go behind a paywall.

22.12.2025 01:04 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0

Only when you get it.

21.12.2025 23:21 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0