The Cornell Center’s past research projects helped establish a foundation for the Center’s current work on the biological, molecular, and physiological mechanisms of ME/CFS. Explore these completed projects and the areas of investigation that informed ongoing research.

NIH ME/CFS Collaborative Research Center, 2017–2023

Single-Cell Transcriptomics

Sequencing of mRNA and microRNA from peripheral blood to identify specific dysregulated leukocytes.

Two-Day Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing

Volunteers participated in exercise testing and sample collection at three locations.

Vesicles and Signaling

Examining the effect of exercise on extracellular-vesicle cargo, inflammatory proteins, and metabolism.

Oxidative Stress and Neuroinflammation

Using MRI and PET imaging to measure levels of energy-related and inflammatory molecules in the central nervous system.

Other Past ENID Center Projects

Genomics

Examining the expression of genes in mitochondrial genomes.

Metabolism

Probing the utilization of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation versus glycolysis in immune cells and the accumulation of metabolites in plasma.

Microbiome

Comparing gut microbiota—including bacteria, eukaryotes, and viruses—in people with ME/CFS and control participants.