Research Projects
ME Association funded research on ME/CFS and Long Covid
Below is a list of research papers funded completely or partially by the ME Association, on myalgic encephalomyelitis, myalgic encephalopathy, and/or chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), and Long Covid, listed chronologically.
Current Projects
Ramsay Biomedical Research Projects
Grant Amount: £39,554.13 (for Stage 1)
Oxford Centre for Clinical Magnetic Resonance Research (OCMR), University of Oxford
Research Field: Biomarker causes and Biomarker Discovery
Professor Ladislav Valkovič
Start Date: 01/04/2026
Duration: 12 months
Status: In progress
Overview
- This study investigates whether poor muscle oxygenation and delayed energy recovery contribute to fatigue and post‑exertional malaise (PEM) in ME/CFS.
- Uses two non‑invasive, state‑of‑the‑art techniques:
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) to measure phosphocreatine (PCr) recovery — “direct and non‑invasive insight into oxidative energy production.”
- Near‑Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) to assess muscle oxygenation using a small light probe — “rapid assessment of muscle oxygenation… involves a small light probe on the skin.”
- Stage 1 (funded, now recruiting): Baseline comparison of muscle metabolism in 20 people with mild ME/CFS and 10 sedentary healthy controls.
- Participants complete MRI, NIRS, blood and urine sampling, questionnaires, and wear a smartwatch; healthy controls also complete a sub‑maximal bike test.
- Stage 2 (funding required): Repeats all assessments during PEM, induced by a supervised sub‑maximal exercise test.
- Researchers expect to see slower PCr recovery, reduced oxygen utilisation, and exercise‑inflated mitochondrial dysfunction during PEM.
- Blood and urine samples will support future research including proteomics, metabolomics, Raman spectroscopy, and micro‑clot analysis.
- Findings could help explain why even small amounts of activity trigger severe PEM and may support development of scalable diagnostic tools such as NIRS.
- Stage 1 is funded thanks to supporters of the Big Give Christmas Challenge.
Grant Amount: £32,149.30
UK Dementia Research Institute’s Fluid Biomarker Laboratory at University College London (UCL)
Research Field: Biomarker Discovery
Miss Sophie Hicks, under the supervision of Dr Amanda Heslegrave, Dr Michael Zandi, Professor Henrik Zetterberg
Start Date: 01/12/2025
Duration: 12 months
Status: In progress
Overview
- ME/CFS and Long Covid are debilitating illnesses that currently lack validated diagnostic tests.
- Biomarkers in blood offer a promising route to earlier and more accurate diagnosis.
- Previous challenges have included limited sensitivity (detecting very low-level molecules) and specificity (distinguishing overlapping conditions).
- This pilot study uses an advanced, cost-effective technology — ALAMAR Bioscience’s NULISA platform — to measure more than 300 neurological and inflammatory proteins.
- The approach should detect subtle biological changes that previous methods have missed.
- Samples come from well-characterised cohorts via the UK ME/CFS Biobank and the UCLH STIMULATE ICP Long Covid study.
- The study aims to identify biomarkers specific to ME/CFS, and to Long Covid, or shared between both conditions.
- Data analysis will use statistical and machine-learning methods to identify diagnostic signatures.
Introduction
The ME Association (MEA) has committed £1.175 million to a major new research project – its largest ever investment, and the biggest amount any charity has committed to Long Covid (LC) or ME/CFS research.
Since the Covid-19 pandemic began, huge amounts of research have gone into understanding Covid-19 and Long Covid. The MEA has consistently argued that ME/CFS should have been included in this work, because the two conditions show many similarities. The new Rosetta Stone project will finally allow researchers to study them side by side, on a scale never attempted before.
Overview
The aim of this project is to understand what is happening in the body at the cellular and molecular level in people with LC and ME/CFS. The research team will do this by directly comparing biological samples from people with these conditions to those from healthy individuals. By studying these groups side-by-side, they hope to identify the key biological changes that may explain symptoms, offer a guide to future treatments, and supply serum markers to be used both in referral pathways and in stratification for clinical trials. Improve sample preparation and compare fresh versus cryopreserved cells.
They will study:
- Proteins in the blood, to reveal shared disease patterns or underlying mechanisms in LC and ME/CFS
- Immune function, including autoimmune antibodies, autoimmune T cells, different immune cell types, and their metabolic activity, to show common changes that could help explain symptoms.
- Human herpesviruses, such as EBV, HHV-6B, and HHV-7, which are reactivating in these conditions, and how virus levels and T-cell immune responses relate to illness
- and gut microbiome disturbances.
Origin
- Builds on 2019 work by Prof. Ron Davis detecting electrical abnormalities in ME/CFS blood cells.
Initial Study
- Funded by ME Association and ME Research UK in 2023; showed distinct electrical properties in ME/CFS PBMCs vs. healthy controls.
Key Findings
- Suggests ion channel dysfunction and altered ionic composition in ME/CFS cells
- Electrical signatures may distinguish ME/CFS from other conditions
- Supports potential for a diagnostic biomarker
Phase II Goals
- Test a larger, more diverse cohort
- Improve sample preparation and compare fresh vs. cryopreserved cells
- Compare ME/CFS with Long Covid, MS, and healthy controls
- Investigate ion channel mechanisms and test low-dose naltrexone (LDN) as a potential modulator
Previous Research & Observations:
- LDN (Low Dose Naltrexone) has shown safety and effectiveness in chronic conditions like Fibromyalgia.
- Observational studies suggest LDN may improve energy, pain, and sleep in ME/CFS patients, with only minor adverse effects reported.
About Naltrexone:
- Naltrexone is an opiate antagonist approved for alcohol and opiate use disorders.
- Used off-label at low doses for ME/CFS, Fibromyalgia, and Crohn’s disease.
Mechanism of Action (LDN):
- Temporarily blocks certain opioid receptors, increasing their number and sensitivity.
- Enhances circulation of endogenous opiate-like molecules, which are typically reduced in ME/CFS.
- Potential effects include reduced pain and inflammation, improved immune function, and enhanced well-being.
- May counterbalance the pro-inflammatory state associated with early ME/CFS, supporting recovery.
Grant Amount: £220,787 for 2026-2027
Total Investment: £1,091,822 from 2009-2027
London School of Tropical Medicine (LSHTM)
Research Field: Infrastructure Project
Dr Luis Nacul
Current Grant Start Date: 01/01/2026
Duration: 24 months
Status: In progress
Overview of UK ME/CFS Biobank (UKMEB):
- Established in 2011 to support biomedical research into ME/CFS, which was initially funded by Action for M.E. (AFME), ME Research UK (MERUK) and The ME Association (MEA).
Purpose and Reach:
- Provides high-quality biological samples to research teams worldwide, including:
- UK, Europe, North America, Latin America & the Middle East.
- Known internationally for efficiency and quality.
- Increasing demand for samples reflects its value in advancing ME/CFS research.
Biobank Contents:
- Includes samples from:
- Mild to severely affected ME/CFS patients (ages 18–60)
- Healthy controls
- Patients with neurologically diagnosed multiple sclerosis (MS)
- Types of blood samples stored:
- Serum
- Plasma
- Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC)
- Red blood cells/granulocyte pellet
- Whole blood
- RNA
Funding and Operations:
- Basic running costs now covered by the MEA Ramsay Research Fund (RRF).
Overview:
- In 2023, the ME Association partnered with the Manchester Brain Bank to support post-mortem research into ME/CFS.
- Through the Ramsay Research Fund, detailed examinations of brain and nervous system tissue—including the spinal cord and dorsal root ganglion—will be carried out on at least five individuals aged 18–50 with a confirmed diagnosis.
- The age limit helps ensure findings are specific to ME/CFS rather than age-related changes. Those wishing to donate must meet the same diagnostic and age criteria. Research focuses on the biological, mechanisms underlying ME/CFS, with an emphasis on:
Ramsay Healthcare Research Projects
Grant Amount: £59,750
University of Manchester
Research Field: Healthcare
Professor Sarah Tyson
Start Date: 01/08/2025
Duration: 18 months
Status: In progress
Background
- There is currently a lack of reliable tools in ME/CFS services to assess symptoms and disability.
- Phase I of this research project co-produced validated PROMs with patients and clinicians.
Phase II of this research project will:
- Disseminate findings via peer-reviewed publications.
- Expand the toolkit with three new resources (co-morbidities checklist, care plan, child-friendly version).
- Implement widely via website and digital apps for individuals and NHS services.
Background
- ME/CFS research suffers from inconsistent diagnostic criteria.
- This project aims to develop a standardised, patient-informed framework to improve research quality and comparability.
Key activities
- Surveying patients, clinicians, and researchers
- Conducting a scoping review of symptom severity measures
- Hosting a panel discussion at IACFS/ME 2025 to explore controversies and build consensus
Planned outputs
- A consensus framework
- A published report
- Practical guidance for researchers
Background
- ME/CFS significantly affects health, yet little research has examined its impact on pregnancy outcomes for both birthing parent and child.
- Lack of evidence creates uncertainty around family planning, pregnancy care and postpartum care.
Recent Research
- A mixed-methods systematic review was previously conducted by the research group on ME/CFS and pregnancy, funded by Newcastle Healthcare Charity.
- This review identified key knowledge gaps and the need for high-quality research is needed to inform evidence-based clinical guidelines.
Pilot Study Goals
This research aims to:
- Establishing key research priorities from the perspectives of individuals with ME/CFS and their healthcare providers regarding pregnancy.
- Exploring experiences, attitudes, and perceptions related to pregnancy and ME/CFS.
- Investigating decision-making around pregnancy among patients and professionals, including doctors, midwives, and health visitors.
- Identifying existing clinical data collection practices related to ME/CFS and pregnancy to shape future research.
Student Research – PhD Funded Projects
Grant Amount: £16,000
Rosalind Franklin Institute
Research Field: Pathophysiology
Aleyna Lumsden, under the supervision of Dr Bela Paiza and Professor Karl Morten
Start Date: 01/10/2025
Duration: 4 years
Status: In progress
Background
- ME/CFS is hard to diagnose and treat due to its complex biology and lack of biomarkers.
- Metabolomics, a branch of “omics,” studies small molecules to find disease-specific patterns.
- Mass spectrometry (MS) helps detect these molecules, but identifying unknowns is challenging.
- Traditional tools like Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) are slow and limited—advanced methods and modelling are needed.
Project Overview
- Goal: Identify unknown molecules in ME/CFS patients and healthy controls to find potential biomarkers.
- Uses of advanced tools across different research sites, including ion mobility mass spectrometry combined with liquid chromatography and tandem MS (LC-MS/MS).
- Combining lab techniques with computer modelling (Universal Fragmentation Model -UFM) to predict molecular behaviour.
- Findings will be validated using NMR or microED, which then can be mapped to confirm molecules to disease pathways.
- Hopefully findings will inform new diagnostics and treatment strategies.
Background
- Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) is a non-invasive method used to stimulate the vagus nerve via the ear, showing promise for conditions like epilepsy, depression, and migraines, and potential benefits in memory, inflammation, and pain.
- Interest in taVNS is growing, however, to date only one former study has been conducted (Natelson et al., 2023)
Study Aims
This study will help prepare for more rigorous research into taVNS as a potential treatment for ME/CFS through:
- Assessing the feasibility of a full-scale trial (recruitment, adherence, etc.),
- Determining appropriate sample size and outcome measures,
- Understanding patient experiences with taVNS,
- Evaluating the treatment’s safety.
Archive
- 2026: Leeds: Testing a Personalised Dysautonomia Management Protocol in Patients with Orthostatic Intolerance and a Diagnosis of ME/CFS or Long Covid: Sivan, M et al.
Conclusion: The results suggest that targeted conservative interventions could influence autonomic function and symptom reduction. However, the magnitude of change was limited, and statistical significance might not necessarily relate to a clinically significant improvement in symptoms. - 2026: Oxford: Hub for ME/CFS Research into Biological Understanding and Biomarker Research: Morten, K et al.
The Morten Group has been at the forefront of investigating the biological mechanisms of ME/CFS, with a particular focus on mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress, and metabolic abnormalities. - 2025: Exeter: Understanding Symptom Clusters, Diagnosis and Healthcare Experiences in ME/CFS and Long Covid: A Cross-sectional Survey in the UK: Mansoubi, M et al.
Conclusion: ME/CFS and Long Covid share overlapping but distinct symptom clusters, indicating common challenges in management. The findings highlight significant delays in diagnosis and low satisfaction with specialist services, suggesting a need for improved self-management resources and better-coordinated care across the NHS. - 2025: Guildford: The Search for a Blood-based Biomarker for ME/CFS: from Biochemistry to Electrophysiology: Clarke, KSP et al.
Conclusion: Different biochemical and electrophysiological properties which differentiate ME/CFS have been identified across studies, holding promise as potential blood-based quantitative diagnostic biomarkers for ME/CFS. However, further research is required to determine their specificity to ME/CFS and adoptability for clinical use. - 2025: Oxford: Dysregulation of lipid metabolism, energy production, and oxidative stress in ME/CFS, GWS and FM: Davis, L et al.
Conclusion: The precise mechanisms driving altered metabolic pathways in ME/CFS, GWS, and FM remain to be elucidated; however, the elevated oxidative stress observed across these illnesses may contribute to symptoms and offer a potential target for therapeutic intervention. Investigating the mechanisms, and their role in the disease process, could provide insights into disease pathogenesis and reveal novel treatment targets. - 2024: Oxford: Raman micro-spectroscopy as a tool to study immunometabolism: Xu, J et al.
Conclusion: The synergy of Raman technologies with machine learning is poised to enhance the understanding of complex Raman phenotypes, enabling biomarker discovery and comprehensive investigations in immunometabolism. The review encourages further exploration of these evolving technologies in the rapidly advancing field of immunometabolism. - 2023: Liverpool: Home-based testing protocol to measure physiological responses to everyday activities in ME: a feasibility study: Clague-Baker, N et al.
Conclusion: Physiological measurement during everyday activities was feasible for our participants who represented a range of ME severities. Activities must be adapted for different levels of severity to avoid significant symptom exacerbation. Further research is needed to develop home-based assessment protocols to advance the biobehavioral understanding of ME. - 2023: London: Long COVID: mechanisms, risk factors and recovery: Astin, R et al.
Conclusion: Rehabilitation can be effective but presents a resource challenge in providing sufficient monitoring to match activity to physiological capabilities to avoid exacerbating damage. Pharmacological treatments are likely to only be effective in subpopulations of patients with specific symptoms and underlying pathology. Multi-disciplinary approaches spanning epidemiology, immunology, multi-system physiology and clinical research are therefore required to understand the different, interacting processes at play and to understand how to best combat them to restore health. - 2023: Oxford: Developing a Blood Cell-based Diagnostic Test for ME/CFS Using PBMCs: Huang, W et al.
Conclusion: Further investigations to evaluate model performance in extended cohorts of patients, to identify the precise ME/CFS EV components detected by Raman and to reveal their functional significance in the disease are warranted. - 2022: Valencia: Diagnosis of ME/CFS with Partial Least Squares Discriminant Analysis: Relevance of Blood Extracellular Vesicles: Gonzalez-Cebrian, A et al.
Conclusion: These results demonstrate that Raman profiles of blood cells can distinguish between healthy individuals, disease controls, and ME/CFS patients with high accuracy (91%), and can further differentiate between mild, moderate, and severe ME/CFS patients (84%). - 2021: Torun: Relationship between Cardiopulmonary, Mitochondrial and Autonomic Nervous System Function Improvement after an Individualised Activity Programme upon CFS patients: Kujawski, S et al.
Conclusion: It is concluded that the Individualised Activity Program (IAP) reduces fatigue and improves functional performance along with changes in autonomic and mitochondrial function. However, caution must be applied as exercise was not well tolerated by 51% of patients. - 2021: Valencia: Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells as Suitable Sensors for FM and ME/CFS: Monzón-Nomdedeu, MB et al.
Conclusion: This opinion review explains our hypothesis that induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) could be developed as a screening platform to provide evidence of a metabolic imbalance in FM and ME/CFS. - 2020: Valencia: Assessing Diagnostic Value of MicroRNAs from PBMCs and EVs in ME/CFS: Almenar-Perez, E et al.
Conclusion: Our results show that routine creatine kinase (CK) blood values, plasma EVs physical characteristics (including counts, size and zeta-potential), and a limited number of differentially expressed PBMC and EV miRNAs appear significantly associated with severe ME/CFS (p < 0.05). - 2020: Toruń: Autonomic Phenotypes in CFS are Associated with Illness Severity: A Cluster Analysis: Słomko, J et al.
Conclusions: (a) identifying autonomic symptomatology in patients with CFS will contribute to the understanding of the role that the ANS plays in CFS pathophysiology (b) subjective and/or objective autonomic function measurement should be required during the diagnostic process (c) autonomic phenotypes in CFS patients are strongly associated with measures of illness severity, suggesting that different approaches to treatment might be warranted. - 2019: Brussels: Relationship Between Exercise-induced Oxidative Stress Changes and Parasympathetic Activity in CFS: An Observational Study in Patients and Healthy Subjects: Polli, A et al.
Conclusion: While we found no exercise-induced changes in oxidative stress, we found consistent associations between pain symptoms and oxidative stress in patients with ME/CFS. On the contrary, there was a strong association between exercise-induced changes in ANS and oxidative stress changes in healthy controls. The more that parasympathetic activity increases following exercise, the greater the reduction in oxidative stress. We suggest that vagal activity exerts regulatory actions on oxidative stress during exercise. Patients with ME/CFS and other chronic pain conditions might lack this control, and that might account for the lack of exercise-induced hypoalgesia that is often found in these patients. Exploring these mechanisms could potentially lead to helpful and innovative treatments for chronic pain. - 2019: Manchester: The ‘Cognitive Behavioural Model’ of CFS: Critique of a Flawed Model: Geraghty, K et al.
Conclusion: Our findings suggest the CBM is not fit for purpose, as it poorly reflects the accounts given by patients and it ignores the wealth of evidence showing biological, immune and neurological dysfunction in ME/CFS. Given that the CBM is cited as the basis for CBT and GET interventions, there is an urgent need for clinicians, therapists and health providers to review this treatment paradigm. Our findings help explain why so many patients reject psychotherapy. An alternative model should be formulated to better explain the biological factors that predispose, precipitate and perpetuate the illness. - 2019: Newcastle: Assessing Cellular Energy Dysfunction in CFS/ME Using a Commercially Available Laboratory Test: Newton, J et al.
Conclusion: The MES test does not have the reliability and reproducibility required of a diagnostic test and therefore should not currently be offered as a diagnostic test for CFS/ME. The differences observed by the Myhill group may be down to differences in sample processing time between cohorts. - 2019: Newcastle: Mitochondrial Complex Activity in Permeabilised Cells of CFS Patients using Two Cell Types: Tomas, C et al.
Conclusion: The finding of normal mitochondrial functioning of CFS myotubes supports the results of unpublished data from whole cells (Rutherford, 2016). The results showing no difference in mitochondrial activity in permeabilised PBMCs were unexpected given that mitochondrial function in PBMCs has previously been shown to be significantly lower in CFS (Tomas et al., 2017). Given the results here, the future of bioenergetic studies in CFS should concentrate on mechanisms upstream of the mitochondrial respiratory chain. - 2019: Oxford: Impact of pharmacological agents on mitochondrial function: a growing opportunity?: Stoker, M et al.
Conclusion: Mitochondrial dysfunction results from off-target effects from these drugs rather than being the main mode of action; however, we have shown that modulating mitochondrial function could be beneficial in the treatment of a variety of diseases such as cancer, diabetes and chronic viral infection. - 2019: Toruń: The Impact of a Structured Exercise Programme upon Cognitive Function in CFS Patients: Zalewski, P et al.
Conclusion: A substantial number of participants were unwilling or unable to complete the exercise programme. ME/CFS patients able to complete the structured exercise programme (SEP) showed improved visual attention both in terms of reaction time and correctness of responses and processing speed of simple visual stimuli. - 2018: Manchester: ME/CFS and the Biopsychosocial Model: A Review of Patient Harm and Distress in the Medical Encounter: Geraghty, K et al.
Conclusion: The biopsychosocial framework currently applied to ME/CFS is too narrow in focus and fails to adequately incorporate the patient narrative. Misdiagnosis, conflict, and harm are observable outcomes where doctors’ and patients’ perspectives remain incongruent. Biopsychosocial practices should be scrutinized for potential harms. Clinicians should consider adopting alternative patient-centred approaches. - 2018: Oxford: Potential clinical usefulness of gut microbiome testing in a variety of clinical conditions: Morten, K et al.
Conclusion: In this study we investigated microbiome diversity in a range of conditions including cancer, ME/CFS, IBS, and obesity among others. Potential clinical effectiveness of the diversity score applicable to a wide range of medical conditions, has greater sensitivity and reduces multiple testing compared to bacteria taxa comparisons. Faecal microbiome testing is clinically useful and potentially defines treatment directions in a particular patient. - 2018: Oxford: A New Approach to Find Biomarkers in CFS/ME by Single-cell Raman Micro-spectroscopy: Xu, J et al.
Conclusion: A machine learning classification model achieved an accuracy rate of 98% correctly assigning Raman spectra to either the CFS group or the control group. SCRM combined with a machine learning algorithm therefore has the potential to become a diagnostic tool for CFS. - 2017: Koper: The Role of Autonomic Function in Exercise-induced Endogenous Analgesia: A Case-control Study in ME/CFS: Oosterwijck, JV et al.
Conclusion: Reduced parasympathetic reactivation during recovery from exercise is associated with the dysfunctional exercise-induced analgesia in ME/CFS. Poor recovery of diastolic blood pressure in response to exercise, with blood pressure remaining elevated, is associated with reductions of pain following exercise in ME/CFS, suggesting a role for the arterial baroreceptors in explaining dysfunctional exercise-induced analgesia in ME/CFS patients. - 2017: Manchester: ME/CFS Patients’ Reports of Symptom Changes following CBT, GET and Pacing treatments: Analysis of a Primary Survey Compared with Secondary Surveys: Geraghty, K et al.
Conclusion: Findings from analysis of primary and secondary surveys suggest that CBT is of benefit to a small percentage of patients (8%-35%), GET brings about large negative responses in patients (54%-74%), while Pacing is the most favoured treatment with the lowest negative response rate and the highest reported benefit (44%-82%) . - 2017: Newcastle: Cellular Bioenergetics is Impaired in Patients with CFS: Tomas, C et al.
Conclusion: The metabolic differences discovered highlight the inability of CFS patient PBMCs to fulfil cellular energetic demands both under basal conditions and when mitochondria are stressed during periods of high metabolic demand. - 2017: Potchefstroom: Clinically proven mtDNA mutations are not common in those with CFS: Schoeman, EM et al.
Conclusion: The work supports the assertion that CFS should not be considered to fall within the spectrum of mtDNA disease. However, the current study cannot exclude a role for nuclear genes with a mitochondrial function, nor a role of mtDNA population variants in susceptibility to disease. This study highlights the need for more to be done to understand the pathophysiology of CFS. - 2016: Northumbria: The experience of sleep in CFS: A qualitative interview study with patients: Gotts, Z et al.
Conclusion: Each patient with CFS has a unique experience of sleep. Despite the differing narratives regarding the role of sleep in CFS, all participants held the belief that sleep is a vital process for health and well-being which has had a direct bearing on the course and progression of their CFS. Also, every participant regarded their sleep as in some way ‘broken’ and in need of management/repair. Patients’ insights demonstrate sleep-specific influences on their CFS, and the impact of disturbed sleep should be a consideration for clinical and research work. - 2011: Newcastle: Loss of Capacity to Recover from Acidosis on Repeat Exercise in CFS: A Case-control Study: Jones, DEJ et al.
Conclusion: When exercising to comparable levels to normal controls, CFS patients exhibit profound abnormality in bioenergetic function and response to it. Although exercise intervention is the logical treatment for patients showing acidosis, any trial must exclude subjects who do not initiate exercise as they will not benefit. This potentially explains previous mixed results in CFS exercise trials. - 2009: Buckinghamshire: Risk Factors for Severe ME/CFS: Pheby, D et al.
Conclusion: Exposure to potential risk factors, including familial risks, personality, and early management of the illness, was compared in 124 people with severe disease and 619 mildly ill controls. Early management of the illness appeared the most important determinant of severity. Having a mother with ME/CFS was also important. Smoking and personality were not risk factors, neurotic traits being more frequent among the less severely ill. Conscientiousness overall was not related to severity. - 2009: Glasgow: A Gene Signature for Post-Infectious CFS: Gow, J et al.
Conclusion: Differential expression of key genes identified in this study offer an insight into the possible mechanism of chronic fatigue following infection. The representative biomarkers identified in this research appear promising as potential biomarkers for diagnosis and treatment. - 2008: London: Dietary Intervention in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Hobday, RA et al.
Conclusion: In this randomized control trial, a Low Sugar Low Yeast (LSLY) diet appeared to be no more efficacious on levels of fatigue or QoL compared to Healthy Eating (HE). Given the difficulty with dietary compliance experienced by participants, especially in the LSLY group, it would appear HE guidance is a more pragmatic approach than advocating a complicated dietary regime. - 2007: Liverpool: The Role of Cytokines in Muscle Fatigue in Patients with CFS: McArdle, A et al.
Conclusion: This preliminary data suggests that a sub-group of patients with CFS may have low level inflammation and analyses are underway to further characterise other inflammatory markers in serum and muscle of these patients and to determine whether such changes could affect indices of muscle function or central fatigue. - 2006: CFSUM1 and CFSUM2 in Urine from Patients with CFS are Methodological Artefacts: Chalmers, RA et al.
Conclusion: Both CFSUM1 and CFSUM2 are artefacts of the sample preparation procedure and previously reported quantitative abnormalities of CFSUM1 and CFSUM2 in urine from patients with ME/CFS are also artefactual. Pyroglutamic acid may be of primarily dietary origin. The methods used cannot provide reliable qualitative or quantitative data on urinary metabolites. No clinical or biochemical significance can be drawn between these compounds in ME/CFS or any other clinical conditions. - 2005: London: Plasma and Urinary Carnitine and Acylcarnitines in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Jones, MG et al.
Conclusion: The data presented here show that, in the CFS patients studied, there are no significant abnormalities of free or esterified (acyl) carnitine. It is thus unlikely that abnormalities in carnitine homeostasis have any significant role in the aetiology of their chronic fatigue. - 2005: London: Urinary and plasma organic acids and amino acids in chronic fatigue syndrome: Jones, MG et al.
Conclusion: None of the previously reported abnormalities in urinary amino acids or of organic acids could be confirmed. Results however provide some evidence in patients with ME/CFS for underlying inflammatory disease and for reduced intramuscular collagen with a lowered threshold for muscle micro-injury. These factors in combination may provide a basis for the fatigue and muscle pain that are the major symptoms in these patients. - 2003: Dundee: Prolonged acetylcholine-induced vasodilatation in the peripheral microcirculation of patients with CFS: Khan, F et al.
Conclusion: No differences in peak blood flow was seen between patients and controls, but the time taken for the ACh response to recover to baseline was significantly longer in the CFS patients than in control subjects. Prolongation of ACh-induced vasodilatation is suggestive of a disturbance to cholinergic pathways, perhaps within the vascular endothelium of patients with CFS, and might be related to some of the unusual vascular symptoms, such as hypotension and orthostatic intolerance, which are characteristic of the condition. - 2003: Glasgow: Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy of basal ganglia in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Chaudhuri, A et al.
Conclusion: Fatigue is a common symptom of neurological diseases that affect basal ganglia function. A highly significant increase in the spectra from choline-containing compounds was seen in the CFS patient group (p < 0.001). In the absence of regional structural or inflammatory pathology, increased choline resonance in CFS may be an indicator of higher cell membrane turnover due to gliosis or altered intramembrane signalling. - 2003: Glasgow: Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: New Evidence for a Central Fatigue Disorder: Georgiades, E et al.
Conclusion: The significant differences observed in a number of key putative CNS 5-HT and dopaminergic modulators, coupled with the exacerbated perception of effort, provide further evidence for a potentially significant role for CNS mechanisms in the pathogenesis of CFS. - 2001: Glasgow: Antiviral Pathway Activation in Patients with CFS and Acute Infection: Gow, J et al.
Conclusion: Pathway activation in the group of patients with infections differed significantly from that of the other 2 groups, in whom there was no evidence of upregulation. Therefore, assay of activation is unlikely to provide the basis for a diagnostic test for CFS.