A non-invasive fluorescence spectoscropy measurement of skin tryptophan and other tissue flourophores on patients with CFS/ME - Dr John Allen

Tissues can glow a little in the dark – skin "fluoresces" under different colours of light. Flourophores like Tryptophan (essential amino acid in serontonin synthesis) have recently been linked to chronic fatigue. Flourescence spectroscopy has great potential for non-invasive monitoring – enabling an "optical biopsy".
The study aims to investigate the potential diagnostic value of this technique by asking the question "Can fluorescence measurements reliably differentiate between healthy subjects and those with CFS/ME?" The method uses fluorescence spectroscopy and will measure flourescence at different skin sites along the arm.
This pilot study is made possible by funding support from the Northern CFS/ME Clinical Network. Dr Allen is hopeful that this work could ultimately lead to a new diagnostic test in CFS/ME and provide a means of monitoring response to therapy.

Please contact the office on 01913892222 or email yp@menortheast.org if you are interested.