ME/CFS research – Cornell 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 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.