
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 for Enervating NeuroImmune Disease