About
ME/CFS is a serious disease with unknown causes and unclear disease mechanisms. This project uses new technology to map the immune responses of ME/CFS patients against hundreds of thousands of bacterial and viral structures. By comparing patients with healthy individuals, significant differences in immune responses can be identified. If certain viruses or bacteria are involved in the development of ME/CFS, it offers new leads for treatment and prevention through vaccination.
Purpose
Several factors are involved in the development of ME/CFS, such as the body's defenses against infectious diseases (the immune system) and changes in the intestinal microbiome. It is still unknown how the interplay of the immune system and the intestinal microbiome affect the development and course of ME/CFS. The aim of this project is to investigate whether and how immune responses to bacteria in the gut play a role in ME/CFS.
Approach/method of working
The researchers of this project map the immune responses of 900 ME/CFS patients, and 900 individuals without ME/CFS. These individuals participate in the Lifelines study, and more than 400 of the ME/CFS patients already collected blood samples before they developed this disease. This means that it is possible to study which immune responses precede the development of the disease. To this end, the researchers are using new technology they have developed to map immune responses. This technology can map the immune responses to hundreds of thousands of bacterial and viral structures in a large number of individuals. Using machine learning algorithms, the researchers search for immune responses that are characteristic of ME/CFS. Patient data are compared with data from individuals without ME/CFS.
(Description adapted from project website: see link above)
Not available.
Patients enrolled: 1800
Age group: 18 - 65 years (Adults)