Researchers from the Cornell Center for Enervating Neuroimmune Disease, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Yale School of Medicine, and Augmenta Bioworks have published a study investigating autoantibody patterns in ME/CFS. The research, published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences, represents an in-depth look at the involvement of autoimmunity in ME/CFS.

The study examined blood samples from a substantial cohort of 172 participants who were evaluated at multiple sites across the US. All ME/CFS patients met the Canadian Consensus Criteria for diagnosis and developed their condition prior to 2020, ensuring their illness was not related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Using two sophisticated platforms – a 1,134 autoantibody Luminex panel and Rapid Extracellular Antigen Profiling (REAP) – researchers examined over 7,500 antibody-antigen interactions. Unlike previous studies, this comprehensive analysis found no significant differences in autoantibody reactivities between ME/CFS patients and controls. This includes previously reported targets such as β-adrenergic receptors and other G protein-coupled receptors. The results indicate that the role of autoantibodies in ME/CFS needs further investigation.

The paper is available through open access, and we encourage those interested to read the full publication for more detailed information.