Immune Aberrations in Post-Infectious ME/CFS

Project description

As part of the Immune Mechanisms of ME (IMMME) research network, this project will investigate the changes in the innate and acquired immune system in ME/CFS. It has previously been shown that detailed characterisation, including prediction of functional and molecular immune cell phenotypes, is possible by mass, as well as single cell transcriptomics and proteomics in patients with acute COVID-19. On this basis, it is anticipated that the cellular basis of immune system alterations in patients with ME/CFS can be characterised using high-resolution, high-throughput single-cell technologies. To this end, this sub-project plans to pursue the following specific objectives:

A) Determine cellular alterations in patients with ME/CFS,

B) Predict potential molecular signalling pathways and transcriptional networks responsible for the observed molecular phenotype,

C) Define strategies for predicting potential drug repurposing based on transcriptome phenotypes,

D) Define disease-related biomarkers for further evaluation in future clinical trials, and

E) Link the results with additional immune parameters, the GPCR-autoantibodies and the clinical data collected as part of the IMMME joint project.

(Description adapted from project website: see link above)