Research Line Focused on ME/CFS
About
Organisation:
Working group head:
Location:
Graz, Austria
Research types:
Basic research
Link
Website
Description
Since 2018 to date, Francisco Westermeier leads a research line focused on ME/CFS, a complex post-infection disease characterized by severe fatigue and exercise intolerance. Since ME/CFS is associated with endothelial dysfunction (ED), his research line is focused on investigating potential cellular mechanisms underlying vascular abnormalities. Supported by ME Research UK and Solve ME (USA), the research group has reported that a set of microRNAs (miRs) – described to reduce the production of nitric oxide (NO) by endothelial cells (ECs) – is increased in plasma from ME/CFS patients. In fact, they recently complemented those findings by showing that plasma from the same cohort of affected patients reduced the ability of ECs to produce NO. This evidence was also linked to impaired activity of the endothelial isoform of nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), the enzyme responsible to produce NO in ECs. Currently, the group is trying to move one step forward by evaluating several hormonal and metabolic pathways that might be responsible for the reduced eNOS activity in ME/CFS. (Description adapted from working group website: see link above)Research projects
5
Research areas
10
Research types
2
Research networks
0
People
1
Research projects
Altered Endothelial Dysfunction‐related miRs in Plasma from ME/CFS Patients
Project status:
CompletedCountry:
AustriaPrincipal investigator:
Francisco Westermeier
Organisations:
FH Joanneum University of Applied Sciences,Warsaw University of Technology
Research period:
Not available
Research types:
Basic research
Research areas:
Cardiovascular system dysfunction
Decreased NO Production in Endothelial Cells Exposed to Plasma from ME/CFS Patients
Project status:
CompletedCountry:
AustriaPrincipal investigator:
Jennifer Blauensteiner
Organisations:
FH Joanneum University of Applied Sciences
Research period:
Not available
Research types:
Basic research
Research areas:
Cardiovascular system dysfunction
Endothelial dysfunction in post-infection fatigue syndromes
Project status:
OngoingCountry:
Austria, GermanyPrincipal investigator:
Francisco Westermeier
Organisations:
Charité – University Medicine Berlin,FH Joanneum University of Applied Sciences,Medical University of Vienna,Warsaw University of Technology
Research period:
2024-07
to 2027-06
to 2027-06
Research types:
Basic research
Research areas:
Cardiovascular system dysfunction
The impact of mast cell activation on epithelial and endothelial barrier dysregulation in post-infectious ME/CFS (DegranulateME)
Project status:
OngoingCountry:
AustriaPrincipal investigator:
Eva Untersmayr-Elsenhuber
Organisations:
FH Joanneum University of Applied Sciences,Medical University of Vienna
Research period:
2025-01
to 2025-12
to 2025-12
Research types:
Basic research
Research areas:
Infections, Immune system dysfunction, Nutritional and metabolic system dysfunction, General
Unraveling Endothelial Function in ME/CFS
Project status:
OngoingCountry:
AustriaPrincipal investigator:
Francisco Westermeier
Organisations:
FH Joanneum University of Applied Sciences,Warsaw University of Technology,Medical University of Graz
Research period:
Not available
Research types:
Basic research
Research areas:
Cardiovascular system dysfunction
Contact
ME/CFS Research Foundation
Ballindamm 27, 20095 Hamburg, Germany
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