Center for Enervating NeuroImmune Disease
Call for Proposals: 2026 Pilot Projects for ME/CFS Research [Deadline Extended]
The Cornell Center for Enervating NeuroImmune Disease invites applications for pilot funding to advance ME/CFS research. Eligible PIs must hold appointments on the Cornell Ithaca campus (including graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and research associates, as well as others who meet Cornell’s PI eligibility requirements); co-investigators from Weill Cornell Medicine are welcome. Proposals (as a single PDF) are due by 5 PM ET on October 1 October 8, 2026, and should be emailed to the Center’s manager, Carl Franconi, at carl.franconi@cornell.edu. A complete description of the program, including formatting, award amounts, and reporting requirements, can be found on the Pilot Projects page.
Watch Now: Dr. Maureen Hanson on the Biology of Post-Exertional Malaise
A talk from Dr. Maureen Hanson, Center Director, is now available on YouTube as part of Action for ME’s PRIME webinar series. In her presentation, “Molecular Signals of PEM,” Dr. Hanson shares findings from recent Center studies analyzing blood samples collected from ME/CFS patients and sedentary healthy controls before and after two consecutive maximal cardiopulmonary exercise tests. This research offers insight into the biological mechanisms underlying post-exertional malaise (PEM)—a hallmark and defining symptom of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). Watch the talk on YouTube (starting at 2:12:40) to learn more about these important findings.
Center Investigators Attend Invest in ME Research 2026 Conference Week; Early Career Researcher Wins Outstanding Presentation Award
Center investigators recently participated in the Invest in ME Research 2026 conference week at the Wellcome Genome Campus in Cambridge, UK, attending both the 15th Biomedical Research into ME Colloquium (BRMEC15) and the 18th International ME Conference. This annual gathering represents one of the most significant forums for ME/CFS research collaboration, bringing together international researchers, clinicians, and patient advocates to advance understanding of myalgic encephalomyelitis. Our Center’s continued participation reflects our commitment to fostering global partnerships and contributing to the growing body of biomedical research addressing this complex disease.
We’re particularly proud that one of our early career investigators, Dr. Erin Wissink, received 1st place for the Outstanding Oral Presentation Award from Young EMERG for her talk entitled “Cytotoxic T cell dysregulation in ME/CFS.” The presentation outlined a hypothesis that metabolic differences in T cells in ME/CFS cause changes in mTOR signaling and mRNA translation, based on findings from our recent single-cell genomics dataset. This recognition highlights the innovative research emerging from our Center and the importance of supporting early career scientists in ME/CFS research, particularly as the field continues to expand with growing recognition of post-viral illness connections.
Center Director Maureen Hanson Visits WE&ME Foundation
Our Center Director, Dr. Maureen Hanson, recently visited the WE&ME Foundation in Vienna, Austria, in her role as a member of their Scientific Advisory Board. During her visit, the Foundation announced a new research funding initiative on June 15, 2026. This collaboration reinforces our Center’s commitment to advancing rigorous, patient-centered ME/CFS research and strengthens our partnerships within the global research community.
The WE&ME Foundation’s call for proposals seeks research teams focused on advancing understanding of the biological mechanisms of ME/CFS. Projects must demonstrate innovation in methodology or clinical approach and include meaningful involvement of patients or patient representatives, with study designs aligned with current diagnostic criteria. The initiative welcomes applications from both established ME/CFS researchers and scientists from related fields, encouraging diverse approaches to the field. Research teams investigating post-viral contexts are also eligible, provided participants meet established ME/CFS diagnostic criteria.
We encourage members of the research community to explore this funding opportunity and share it with colleagues who may be interested. Learn more on the WE&ME Foundation Call for Proposals for full eligibility details and deadlines.
Uncovering Protein Signatures of Post-Exertional Malaise in ME/CFS
Post-exertional malaise (PEM) is the hallmark symptom of ME/CFS: an exacerbation of symptoms triggered by physical or mental exertion that is often disproportionate to the activity. While PEM has long been recognized as central to ME/CFS, the molecular mechanisms underlying this debilitating response have remained largely unknown.
A recent paper from the Center, published in Molecular & Cellular Proteomics, provides a comprehensive look at what happens at the protein level when people with ME/CFS experience PEM. The work was led by first author and Center investigator Arnaud Germain, a postdoctoral research associate in the Hanson Lab. The paper has also been featured in an article on Medscape.
What Was Done
The study used a powerful aptamer-based proteomic assay (the SomaScan 7K) to measure 6,361 unique plasma proteins in 132 individuals (79 ME/CFS cases, 53 age/BMI-matched sedentary controls). The design included two maximal cardiopulmonary exercise tests (CPET) separated by 24 h, enabling the investigators to chart the molecular aftermath of exertion and recovery.
By comparing ME/CFS to sedentary controls rather than healthy active individuals, the team could distinguish disease-specific alterations from changes simply due to physical deconditioning, a key approach that differentiates this study from others.
Key Findings
Our analysis revealed widespread proteomic changes following exertion, with the most dramatic alterations occurring in ME/CFS participants during the 24-hour recovery period—precisely when PEM symptoms typically emerge.
Immune System Dysfunction:
- Suppression of T and B cell signaling
- Reduced IL17 and cell-cell communication pathways
Metabolic Disruption:
- Up-regulation of glycolysis/gluconeogenesis pathways, consistent with mitochondrial stress and impaired immune recovery
- Disrupted associations between protein levels and physiological performance (VO₂max, ventilatory anaerobic threshold) in ME/CFS compared to controls
Clinical Correlations:
- Correlations between immune-related proteins and symptom severity, including muscle pain, recurrent sore throat, and lymph node tenderness
Sex Differences:
- Sex-stratified analyses revealed distinct molecular responses in females and males, emphasizing the critical importance of considering sex as a biological variable in future research
Key Insights
For Patients: This research provides molecular validation for what ME/CFS patients have long known—that their bodies respond abnormally to exertion. The recovery phase in ME/CFS is characterized by prolonged, maladaptive molecular responses rather than a healthy return to baseline. This data provides scientific backing for clinical recommendations around pacing and avoiding activities that trigger PEM.
For Researchers: The findings reveal that immune, metabolic, and neuromuscular pathways remain dysregulated in ME/CFS long after exertion ends. The study also demonstrates that women and men with ME/CFS may exhibit different molecular pathophysiology, emphasizing the need to account for sex differences in future studies.
For the Field: This work provides a rich molecular dataset and a foundation for mechanistic follow-up. The longitudinal dynamic profiling approach may also serve as a model for investigating other disorders featuring exertion intolerance (e.g., Long COVID).
Access the Research
The full manuscript is now available in Molecular & Cellular Proteomics:
Germain A, Glass KA, Eckert MA, Giloteaux L, Hanson MR. Temporal dynamics of the plasma proteomic landscape reveals maladaptation in ME/CFS following exertion. Molecular & Cellular Proteomics (2025). doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mcpro.2025.101467
The associated dataset can be accessed on the journal’s website and on mapMECFS.
Center Graduate Student Researcher Wins Award at International Conference
Anne Gardella, a graduate student researcher in the Cornell Center for Enervating NeuroImmune Disease, has been awarded the Research Insight prize at the 2025 ME Research UK Virtual Poster Competition hosted by IACFS/ME. Gardella’s winning poster focused on cell-free RNA research in ME/CFS at the International Association for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis’s virtual conference held October 22-25, 2025. This recognition highlights the cutting-edge ME/CFS research being conducted at Cornell and demonstrates the Center’s commitment to advancing our understanding of ME/CFS through innovative biomarker discovery and molecular research approaches.
Interested in viewing the poster? Click here to see the poster in full detail.
Blood Test for ME/CFS Shows Potential, But More Research Needed
A recent study published in the Journal of Translational Medicine has identified epigenetic changes in immune cells that could potentially lead to a blood test for ME/CFS, achieving 96% accuracy in diagnosing severe cases among 47 patients. As reported in Nature, the research community is responding with measured interest while noting important limitations. Our center investigator Katie Glass from Cornell University exemplifies this cautious optimism, acknowledging that while “it’s really cool they brought this method to the field,” her “enthusiasm would be pretty tempered because the cohort is very small and they looked at only very severe patients.” Glass points out that while many studies have identified apparent ME/CFS signatures, “no one has yet taken the next step to develop a clinical biomarker panel.” Nevertheless, she remains hopeful about the field’s progress, noting that while ME/CFS research was once “50 years behind many other diseases,” it’s “really positive that now, more and more researchers are joining the field, and that everything under the sun that you can think of is finally being studied.” This balanced perspective reflects the scientific rigor needed as researchers work toward reliable diagnostic tools for this complex condition.
Center Investigator Anne Gardella Featured in Discover Magazine for ME/CFS Biomarker Research
We’re excited to share that a graduate student within the Center, Anne Gardella, has been featured in Discover Magazine for her recent publication in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on cell-free RNA biomarkers for ME/CFS. Gardella’s work developed machine-learning models to identify molecular fingerprints in blood samples that achieved 77% accuracy in detecting ME/CFS, representing what she calls “a promising start to a non-invasive test” for this complex condition affecting over 3 million Americans. While acknowledging that clinical diagnostic tools typically require above 90% accuracy, Gardella remains optimistic about the potential for this approach to contribute to both reliable diagnosis and deeper understanding of ME/CFS, stating, “we hope this work not only contributes to a reliable diagnostic tool and a deeper understanding of ME/CFS but also continues to bring understanding of the biological problems that result in the lived experiences of these patients.”
Cell-free RNA may help us understand and diagnose ME/CFS
Great work by Center member and lead author Anne Gardella (doctoral student, De Vlaminck Lab) on demonstrating how cell-free RNA (cfRNA) in blood could help us understand—and possibly diagnose—ME/CFS. This Center-led project highlights our cross-lab collaboration, with cfRNA expertise from the De Vlaminck Lab, guidance and materials from our Center’s Administrative Core, and immune profiling resources from our Center’s Grimson Lab.
What the study did:
Our team analyzed cfRNA from plasma samples from 93 people with ME/CFS and 75 sedentary healthy controls, drawn from our Center’s prior cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) study.
What the study found:
Using a machine-learning approach, the study uncovered 21 cfRNA signals that, together, identified ME/CFS cases versus controls with 0.81 AUC and 77% accuracy in a held-out test set. This is promising research, but not yet a clinical test.
By using an immune cell “atlas” from our Center’s Grimson Lab, the team estimated where the cfRNA signals likely came from. They found differences in the relative contributions of several cell types, including plasmacytoid dendritic cells, monocytes, naive CD8 T cells, MAIT cells, and platelets.
Gene-level analyses in ME/CFS point to broad changes in immune function, extracellular matrix organization, and mitochondrial function, consistent with prior studies.
When looking at circulating viral signals, the study did not find a significant difference in overall viral burden between groups.
Why this matters:
This work advances our understanding of the biology of ME/CFS and supports the search for blood-based biomarkers. It is part of our NIH-funded U54 research program.
What’s next:
We are now studying cfRNA before and after CPET to better understand post-exertional malaise, and we are exploring how cfRNA patterns may relate to muscle and cellular function. Stay tuned for updates.
Want to read more?
The Cornell Chronicle has published a press release about this study. The full paper appears in PNAS. The Chronicle article provides background, explains the approach, and highlights key findings.
Extracellular Vesicle Study Sheds New Light on ME/CFS Biology
Researchers from the Center for Enervating Neuroimmune Disease have published a new study investigating extracellular vesicle (EV) proteins in ME/CFS. The research, published in Clinical and Translational Medicine, represents an important analysis of blood-derived EVs and their potential role in ME/CFS.
The study, led by Center Investigators Katherine Glass and Ludovic Giloteaux, analyzed plasma samples from 10 male ME/CFS patients and 12 age- and BMI-matched healthy sedentary male controls before, 15 minutes after, and 24 hours after a maximal exercise challenge, and is an extension of a prior study in an all-female cohort.
The researchers identified significant differences in EV protein cargo between ME/CFS patients and healthy controls at baseline. However, EV protein profiles in ME/CFS patients and controls showed the most pronounced differences 15 minutes post-exercise. ME/CFS subjects’ showed reduced EV protein levels related to energy metabolism, including the TCA cycle; immune overactivation, particularly in the complement system; and disruptions in protein homeostasis. Strikingly, changes in proteins involved in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress response during the 24 hour recovery phase strongly correlated with post-exertional malaise (PEM) severity. We also observed dysregulation in protein homeostasis and ER stress response proteins in the female study. Notably, while EV protein dynamics in healthy controls correlated with exercise physiology metrics like VO₂ peak and ventilatory anaerobic threshold, these associations were absent in ME/CFS patients, suggesting a disruption in EV-mediated physiological adaptation. Together, these findings provide molecular insight into the mechanisms driving symptom exacerbation after exertion in ME/CFS.
This open access study, which represents an important step forward in understanding the molecular basis of ME/CFS, is freely available to read. The findings advance our understanding of how extracellular vesicles, important cellular messengers, may contribute to disease mechanisms in ME/CFS and suggest new directions for future research into diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets.
To promote scientific collaboration and data transparency, the complete protein abundance data for each protein and subject has been made available through mapMECFS.