Blood Test for ME/CFS Shows Potential, But More Research Needed

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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

Anne Gardella

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.”

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