Extracellular Vesicles from Plasma as Potential Biomarkers for an Improved Diagnosis of Endothelial Dysfunction in ME/CFS

Project description

Despite intensive research, the pathomechanism of ME/CFS is currently still not fully understood. It has already been proven that in some patients a disruption of blood vessel regulation and endothelial cell function occurs. Initial preliminary work indicates a change in the quality of plasma factors in ME/CFS patients, such as small RNA molecules and also extracellular vesicles, in associations with blood vessel function. Vesicles from the plasma of ME/CFS patients have already been isolated and differences in their properties were detected compared to vesicles from the plasma of healthy control subjects.

Against this backdrop the aim of this study is to improve the diagnosis of ME/CFS, and to provide insights into the pathogenesis of vascular functioning disorder in patients with ME/CFS. In this project, vesicles from the plasma of post-infectious ME/CFS patients and healthy volunteers will hence be isolated and their properties compared. Vesicle isolation from the plasma of 20 post-infectious ME/CFS patients and 10 healthy control provide the basis for the analysis of molecular vesicle markers and the functional testing of the isolated plasma vesicles in endothelial cells through vessel formation and wound healing assays.

(Description adapted from project website: see link above)