ME/CFS Science
@mecfsskeptic.bsky.social
In-depth analysis of research on myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). Formerly known as ME/CFS Skeptic.
https://mecfsscience.org/
https://mecfsscience.org/
1) A follow-up study of more than 2000 Long Covid patients at the University College London Hospitals shows that only one-third achieved satisfactory recovery (>75% of best health).
Rather disappointing results.
Rather disappointing results.
January 21, 2026 at 8:56 AM
1) A follow-up study of more than 2000 Long Covid patients at the University College London Hospitals shows that only one-third achieved satisfactory recovery (>75% of best health).
Rather disappointing results.
Rather disappointing results.
1) 🇧🇪 A small Belgian study reports that patients with ME/CFS and FM might have abnormalities in the opioid system.
They found that the opioid receptor genes were more often methylated, suggesting that these patients might be less sensitive to this type of pain relief.
They found that the opioid receptor genes were more often methylated, suggesting that these patients might be less sensitive to this type of pain relief.
January 19, 2026 at 9:03 AM
1) 🇧🇪 A small Belgian study reports that patients with ME/CFS and FM might have abnormalities in the opioid system.
They found that the opioid receptor genes were more often methylated, suggesting that these patients might be less sensitive to this type of pain relief.
They found that the opioid receptor genes were more often methylated, suggesting that these patients might be less sensitive to this type of pain relief.
Reposted by ME/CFS Science
Congrats to @PlzSolveCFS for lifting these ME/CFS researchers up!
1) Solve ME/CFS (@PlzSolveCFS) has made an overview of researchers who were supported by a Ramsay grant and went on to win millions of research funding from other institutions.
So, the support of Solve might have acted like a stepping stone to bigger grants.
So, the support of Solve might have acted like a stepping stone to bigger grants.
January 18, 2026 at 6:25 PM
Congrats to @PlzSolveCFS for lifting these ME/CFS researchers up!
1) Reminder: the Horizon Europe work program for 2026-2027 includes a call on post-infection long-term conditions. It has a budget of 6-8 million per project and seems ideally suited for ME/CFS and Long Covid research.
The opening date is 10 February 2026.
The opening date is 10 February 2026.
January 18, 2026 at 8:30 AM
1) Reminder: the Horizon Europe work program for 2026-2027 includes a call on post-infection long-term conditions. It has a budget of 6-8 million per project and seems ideally suited for ME/CFS and Long Covid research.
The opening date is 10 February 2026.
The opening date is 10 February 2026.
Reposted by ME/CFS Science
This would have been straightforwardly good news when Jeanne Marrazzo was still leading NIAID. Harder to say now but maybe good at least to move ME and LC away from the division Walitt is in.
1) From the new NIAID vision:
"The NIAID will foster research to better understand long-term post-infectious and non-infectious inflammatory syndromes, such as long COVID, chronic Lyme disease, myalgic encephalitis/chronic fatigue syndrome, and adverse events after vaccination"
"The NIAID will foster research to better understand long-term post-infectious and non-infectious inflammatory syndromes, such as long COVID, chronic Lyme disease, myalgic encephalitis/chronic fatigue syndrome, and adverse events after vaccination"
January 16, 2026 at 5:33 PM
This would have been straightforwardly good news when Jeanne Marrazzo was still leading NIAID. Harder to say now but maybe good at least to move ME and LC away from the division Walitt is in.
1) Solve ME/CFS (@PlzSolveCFS) has made an overview of researchers who were supported by a Ramsay grant and went on to win millions of research funding from other institutions.
So, the support of Solve might have acted like a stepping stone to bigger grants.
So, the support of Solve might have acted like a stepping stone to bigger grants.
January 17, 2026 at 8:50 AM
1) Solve ME/CFS (@PlzSolveCFS) has made an overview of researchers who were supported by a Ramsay grant and went on to win millions of research funding from other institutions.
So, the support of Solve might have acted like a stepping stone to bigger grants.
So, the support of Solve might have acted like a stepping stone to bigger grants.
Some good news: ME/CFS is explicitly mentioned in the new NIAID vision. 👇
Hopefully, this will lead to more funding opportunities for ME/FS research in the US.
Hopefully, this will lead to more funding opportunities for ME/FS research in the US.
1) From the new NIAID vision:
"The NIAID will foster research to better understand long-term post-infectious and non-infectious inflammatory syndromes, such as long COVID, chronic Lyme disease, myalgic encephalitis/chronic fatigue syndrome, and adverse events after vaccination"
"The NIAID will foster research to better understand long-term post-infectious and non-infectious inflammatory syndromes, such as long COVID, chronic Lyme disease, myalgic encephalitis/chronic fatigue syndrome, and adverse events after vaccination"
January 16, 2026 at 4:26 PM
Some good news: ME/CFS is explicitly mentioned in the new NIAID vision. 👇
Hopefully, this will lead to more funding opportunities for ME/FS research in the US.
Hopefully, this will lead to more funding opportunities for ME/FS research in the US.
1) From the new NIAID vision:
"The NIAID will foster research to better understand long-term post-infectious and non-infectious inflammatory syndromes, such as long COVID, chronic Lyme disease, myalgic encephalitis/chronic fatigue syndrome, and adverse events after vaccination"
"The NIAID will foster research to better understand long-term post-infectious and non-infectious inflammatory syndromes, such as long COVID, chronic Lyme disease, myalgic encephalitis/chronic fatigue syndrome, and adverse events after vaccination"
January 16, 2026 at 4:15 PM
1) From the new NIAID vision:
"The NIAID will foster research to better understand long-term post-infectious and non-infectious inflammatory syndromes, such as long COVID, chronic Lyme disease, myalgic encephalitis/chronic fatigue syndrome, and adverse events after vaccination"
"The NIAID will foster research to better understand long-term post-infectious and non-infectious inflammatory syndromes, such as long COVID, chronic Lyme disease, myalgic encephalitis/chronic fatigue syndrome, and adverse events after vaccination"
1) A small in-depth study found B-cells from ME/CFS patients to have more lipids. The authors write:"To our surprise, ME/CFS LCLs exhibited an accumulation of lipids including fatty acids"
This could indicate a metabolic deficit or differences in B-cell signalling and receptors
This could indicate a metabolic deficit or differences in B-cell signalling and receptors
January 16, 2026 at 9:22 AM
1) A small in-depth study found B-cells from ME/CFS patients to have more lipids. The authors write:"To our surprise, ME/CFS LCLs exhibited an accumulation of lipids including fatty acids"
This could indicate a metabolic deficit or differences in B-cell signalling and receptors
This could indicate a metabolic deficit or differences in B-cell signalling and receptors
1) 🇦🇺 Australian researchers claim they have found a "robust biomarker" for ME/CFS, namely a dysfunction of an ion channel in Natural Killer cells.
Unfortunately, there are also a couple of limitations to the study.
Unfortunately, there are also a couple of limitations to the study.
January 15, 2026 at 8:44 AM
1) 🇦🇺 Australian researchers claim they have found a "robust biomarker" for ME/CFS, namely a dysfunction of an ion channel in Natural Killer cells.
Unfortunately, there are also a couple of limitations to the study.
Unfortunately, there are also a couple of limitations to the study.
Reposted by ME/CFS Science
The German ME/CFS and LC research community is stepping up its game. With funding granted and studies planned, Germany is a sign of hope as the US research outlook remains uncertain.
UPDATE: The German Ministry of Research (BMFTR) announced that it is funding a phase II study on Uplizna (Inebilizumab).
It targets the CD19 marker present on B-cells during most of the maturation process (see graph below).
Source:
www.bmftr.bund.de/DE/Forschung...
It targets the CD19 marker present on B-cells during most of the maturation process (see graph below).
Source:
www.bmftr.bund.de/DE/Forschung...
January 14, 2026 at 5:26 PM
The German ME/CFS and LC research community is stepping up its game. With funding granted and studies planned, Germany is a sign of hope as the US research outlook remains uncertain.
UPDATE: The German Ministry of Research (BMFTR) announced that it is funding a phase II study on Uplizna (Inebilizumab).
It targets the CD19 marker present on B-cells during most of the maturation process (see graph below).
Source:
www.bmftr.bund.de/DE/Forschung...
It targets the CD19 marker present on B-cells during most of the maturation process (see graph below).
Source:
www.bmftr.bund.de/DE/Forschung...
January 14, 2026 at 2:38 PM
UPDATE: The German Ministry of Research (BMFTR) announced that it is funding a phase II study on Uplizna (Inebilizumab).
It targets the CD19 marker present on B-cells during most of the maturation process (see graph below).
Source:
www.bmftr.bund.de/DE/Forschung...
It targets the CD19 marker present on B-cells during most of the maturation process (see graph below).
Source:
www.bmftr.bund.de/DE/Forschung...
1) In a Bulgarian study, 65 ME/CFS and 54 Long Covid patients showed similar immune alterations when compared to healthy controls.
They had lower NK and CD8+ T cells, but increased inflammatory cytokines such as IL-6 and TNF.
They had lower NK and CD8+ T cells, but increased inflammatory cytokines such as IL-6 and TNF.
January 14, 2026 at 12:09 PM
1) In a Bulgarian study, 65 ME/CFS and 54 Long Covid patients showed similar immune alterations when compared to healthy controls.
They had lower NK and CD8+ T cells, but increased inflammatory cytokines such as IL-6 and TNF.
They had lower NK and CD8+ T cells, but increased inflammatory cytokines such as IL-6 and TNF.
1) In the coming years, we will likely get an answer to a frequently asked question: Is ME/CFS caused by auto-antibodies?
Looking forward to the HLA-results from DecodeME, the Norwegian daratumumab study and sham-controlled trials on immunoadsorption.
Looking forward to the HLA-results from DecodeME, the Norwegian daratumumab study and sham-controlled trials on immunoadsorption.
January 13, 2026 at 8:48 AM
1) In the coming years, we will likely get an answer to a frequently asked question: Is ME/CFS caused by auto-antibodies?
Looking forward to the HLA-results from DecodeME, the Norwegian daratumumab study and sham-controlled trials on immunoadsorption.
Looking forward to the HLA-results from DecodeME, the Norwegian daratumumab study and sham-controlled trials on immunoadsorption.
1) ME/CFS patients often reported problems with their working memory. This review examined 34 studies that used cognitive tests to investigate this.
The effect was quite large for verbal working memory, while no clear effect was found for visual memory.
The effect was quite large for verbal working memory, while no clear effect was found for visual memory.
January 12, 2026 at 9:05 AM
1) ME/CFS patients often reported problems with their working memory. This review examined 34 studies that used cognitive tests to investigate this.
The effect was quite large for verbal working memory, while no clear effect was found for visual memory.
The effect was quite large for verbal working memory, while no clear effect was found for visual memory.
1) This new theory by Resa Pretorius and colleagues focuses on endothelial dysfunction in ME/CFS and Long Covid.
The endothelium is the layer of cells that forms the inner lining of blood and lymphatic vessels.
The endothelium is the layer of cells that forms the inner lining of blood and lymphatic vessels.
January 11, 2026 at 8:06 AM
1) This new theory by Resa Pretorius and colleagues focuses on endothelial dysfunction in ME/CFS and Long Covid.
The endothelium is the layer of cells that forms the inner lining of blood and lymphatic vessels.
The endothelium is the layer of cells that forms the inner lining of blood and lymphatic vessels.
1) Disappointing to see: this paper reports a prevalence "chronic fatigue syndrome (myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME))" of 11.2% among healthcare professionals in North Africa.
This figure is unrealistically high. It looks like they misinterpreted ME/CFS as a form of fatigue
This figure is unrealistically high. It looks like they misinterpreted ME/CFS as a form of fatigue
January 9, 2026 at 8:24 AM
1) Disappointing to see: this paper reports a prevalence "chronic fatigue syndrome (myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME))" of 11.2% among healthcare professionals in North Africa.
This figure is unrealistically high. It looks like they misinterpreted ME/CFS as a form of fatigue
This figure is unrealistically high. It looks like they misinterpreted ME/CFS as a form of fatigue
Reposted by ME/CFS Science
Hier is de pagina als je geïnteresseerd bent in je op te geven als donor, ze zoeken expres mensen met ME/CVS
www.hersenbank.nl/hersendonati...
www.hersenbank.nl/hersendonati...
Alles over hersendonatie | De Nederlandse Hersenbank
Op deze pagina vindt u de informatie die u nodig heeft om te bepalen of u hersendonor wilt worden, zowel in beknopte als in meer uitgebreide vorm.
www.hersenbank.nl
January 8, 2026 at 1:40 PM
Hier is de pagina als je geïnteresseerd bent in je op te geven als donor, ze zoeken expres mensen met ME/CVS
www.hersenbank.nl/hersendonati...
www.hersenbank.nl/hersendonati...
Reposted by ME/CFS Science
You can read about pre-registering to donate your brain post-mortem here: braindonorproject.org/chronic-fati...
What We Know About Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) - Brain Donor Project
braindonorproject.org
January 8, 2026 at 5:16 PM
You can read about pre-registering to donate your brain post-mortem here: braindonorproject.org/chronic-fati...
1) With both symptoms and genetic evidence pointing to the brain, should the ME/CFS community do a coordinated push for brain banks and autopsy studies?
The ongoing post-mortem studies in the Netherlands and the UK will give us a glimpse of how feasible and useful this is.
The ongoing post-mortem studies in the Netherlands and the UK will give us a glimpse of how feasible and useful this is.
January 8, 2026 at 9:00 AM
1) With both symptoms and genetic evidence pointing to the brain, should the ME/CFS community do a coordinated push for brain banks and autopsy studies?
The ongoing post-mortem studies in the Netherlands and the UK will give us a glimpse of how feasible and useful this is.
The ongoing post-mortem studies in the Netherlands and the UK will give us a glimpse of how feasible and useful this is.
In this review, the pooled prevalence of Long COVID (≥1 symptom persisting ≥6 months) across 14 prospective studies was 18%.
(haven't read all these studies - looks like the Xie 2024 Veterans Affairs study is pulling the estimate down).
www.mdpi.com/2227-90...
(haven't read all these studies - looks like the Xie 2024 Veterans Affairs study is pulling the estimate down).
www.mdpi.com/2227-90...
January 7, 2026 at 8:19 AM
In this review, the pooled prevalence of Long COVID (≥1 symptom persisting ≥6 months) across 14 prospective studies was 18%.
(haven't read all these studies - looks like the Xie 2024 Veterans Affairs study is pulling the estimate down).
www.mdpi.com/2227-90...
(haven't read all these studies - looks like the Xie 2024 Veterans Affairs study is pulling the estimate down).
www.mdpi.com/2227-90...
1) This hypothesis paper argues that herpesviruses aren't either active (lytic replication) or passive (latency) but that there's a third state called 'abortive lytic replication' where the virus is active but doesn't replicate itself.
They suspect this plays a role in ME/CFS.
They suspect this plays a role in ME/CFS.
January 6, 2026 at 9:33 AM
1) This hypothesis paper argues that herpesviruses aren't either active (lytic replication) or passive (latency) but that there's a third state called 'abortive lytic replication' where the virus is active but doesn't replicate itself.
They suspect this plays a role in ME/CFS.
They suspect this plays a role in ME/CFS.
Not sure if this is a good or bad thing for ME/CFS research...
Medscape Medical News:
"Long-Time NINDS Director Walter Koroshetz Terminated"
www.medscape.com/viewarticle/...
*National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
#LongCovid #MEcfs #Migraine #dysautonomia #POTS #Fibromyalgia #chronicillness
"Long-Time NINDS Director Walter Koroshetz Terminated"
www.medscape.com/viewarticle/...
*National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
#LongCovid #MEcfs #Migraine #dysautonomia #POTS #Fibromyalgia #chronicillness
January 5, 2026 at 7:50 PM
Not sure if this is a good or bad thing for ME/CFS research...
Reposted by ME/CFS Science
Description from Science for ME update:
“ME/CFS Science Blog has published a review of the most interesting ME/CFS studies in 2025, including DecodeME, the daratumumab trial, autopsy findings from the Netherlands, & most extensive study on antibodies in ME/CFS to date”
#MEcfs #CFS #PwME
“ME/CFS Science Blog has published a review of the most interesting ME/CFS studies in 2025, including DecodeME, the daratumumab trial, autopsy findings from the Netherlands, & most extensive study on antibodies in ME/CFS to date”
#MEcfs #CFS #PwME
1) We’ve just published our review of the most interesting ME/CFS studies of 2025.
It feels like this year, we’ve made a significant step towards understanding the pathophysiology of ME/CFS.
A brief overview of the studies that caught our eye.
It feels like this year, we’ve made a significant step towards understanding the pathophysiology of ME/CFS.
A brief overview of the studies that caught our eye.
January 4, 2026 at 1:50 PM
1) 🇨🇳 A Chinese study looked at the mycobiome, the fungi living in the human body, in 59 ME/CFS patients and 59 controls.
Patients had, for example, more Aspergillus and less Candida.
Patients had, for example, more Aspergillus and less Candida.
January 4, 2026 at 8:57 AM
1) 🇨🇳 A Chinese study looked at the mycobiome, the fungi living in the human body, in 59 ME/CFS patients and 59 controls.
Patients had, for example, more Aspergillus and less Candida.
Patients had, for example, more Aspergillus and less Candida.