Participant Interactions
We are seeking 40 volunteers with ME/CFS and 20 control participants for this NIH-funded project (U54AI178855).
Only participants whose onset of ME/CFS was before 2020 are eligible. Please review our recruitment flyer for more information about volunteering as a patient or control participant in this research study.
The volunteers will complete a large number of online surveys that characterize aspects of their current and past health, as well as specific ME/CFS symptoms. During a one-time visit to the Hospital for Special Surgery, each participant will provide blood and urine samples and undergo a muscle biopsy. The muscle sampled will be the vastus lateralis, located on the side of the thigh as part of the quadriceps muscle.
In addition, each participant will have their endothelial function examined with an EndoPAT® device, which measures reactive hyperemia.
Participants will also perform a hand-grip strength test.
By analyzing all of the data together, it may be possible to correlate particular symptoms with molecular disruptions, endothelial dysfunction, and levels of muscle strength or weakness.
Samples banked from our prior two-day exercise-test experiments will also continue to be used for cell-free RNA assays and analysis of extracellular-vesicle cargo.
Study Site and Clinical Team
Patient interactions will occur at the Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) in Manhattan, New York, under the direction of Dr. David Fernandez and Dr. Yoshimi Endo.
Dr. Endo will acquire the muscle biopsies. Dr. Laura Donlin at HSS will oversee fractionation of blood and preparation of urine and muscle-biopsy samples for shipment to Cornell in Ithaca.
