The researchers hypothesize that antibodies in people with ME/CFS may cause changes in how their blood and certain cells work. These changes in the cells could lead to the symptoms in ME/CFS. To test this idea, they will answer these 3 questions:
With EnergiseME, researchers will include teenagers who have ME/CFS and add their samples to the NMCB. They will study these samples to understand how their cell’s mitochondria and the way their white blood cells use energy are affected. They will do this by using special imaging tests, studying molecules in the blood, and looking at how things move in the cells. They will also test how certain substances in the blood affect the way some of the patients’ cells work, and how they interact with nerve cells. This will help our understanding of how problems with auto-immunity are connected to how the white blood cells use energy in ME/CFS. To test their ideas, they will transfer antibodies and proteins from ME/CFS patients to mice and will try different ways to change how the mice’s cells make energy. This will show if the antibodies and proteins from ME/CFS patients can really cause problems in the cells and make mice have ME/CFS-like symptoms.
