Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson's, Type 1 Diabetes, Ankylosing Spondylitis, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Psoriasis, Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Sarcoidosis. The list goes on. Mycobacterium Avium subspecies Paratuberculosis (MAP) has been implicated in all these diseases and the evidence for this association is increasing.

One such illness is Crohn’s Disease, a debilitating and aggressive form of Inflammatory Bowel Disease. It affects around 5 million worldwide, including 1.2 million in the USA and over 100,000 in the UK –and numbers are increasing, especially in children. There is currently no cure and the lives of most sufferers are blighted by multiple hospitalisations, surgeries, immunosuppressive therapies (and their side effects) and difficulty holding down a job or attending school. However, we are close to alleviating this misery.

The Crohn's MAP Vaccine has already been proven to reduce MAP levels in mice and in cattle, and the phase 1a trial on humans commenced in January 2017 (now complete). The vaccine itself is funded by investors via http://www.hav-vaccines.co.uk/. However, what WE at CMV are actually fundraising for is the vital companion diagnostic test and the smooth completion of the early trials. There is a very good reason why a highly specific and sensitive test is needed.  Until very recently, it has been extremely hard to identify (and therefore target) MAP in blood. But initial 'testing of the test' developed at KCL has shown in great detail - for the very first time - the amount of MAP that is present in white blood cells of volunteers. The blood test is specific, rapid and accurate; it will make diagnosis much quicker and undoubtedly inform new research into the other MAP related diseases also. We are excited!

There are now many streams of funding for the Crohn's MAP Vaccine cause. For example, direct donations to King’s College London, donations via Crowdrise in the US, individual fundraisers’ JustGiving pages, offline private gifts.... and so on, all of them geared towards ensuring that the trial continues, to relieve Crohn's sufferers of the scourge of this awful disease.

With the number of hospital and GP appointments we all have to attend - albeit mainly online in these Covid days - whether for routine consultations or procedures such as colonoscopy, endoscopy or surgery, imagine how much we could make, to bring closer an end to such immense suffering. Got an appointment? Give £2. Please think about putting your forfeit in the jar every single time you have an appointment. We need to keep the lab going as we head into the phase 1b trial!

www.crohnsmapvaccine.com

www.facebook.com/crohnsmapvaccine

http://www.kcl.ac.uk/lsm/research/divisions/dns/research/gastro/projects/index.aspx

**Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails.Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity. So it’s the most efficient way to donate – saving time and cutting costs for the charity.And if you tick the Gift Aid box, they get even more! **