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Myalgic Encephalomyelitis / Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME / CFS) Post Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome (PTLDS), Fibromyalgia Leading Research. Delivering Hope.Open Medicine Foundation® Canada
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Category: End ME/CFS Research

Brain Flow & Inflammation in ME, POTS & Long COVID

we see a PET (Positron Emission Tomography) scan in progress within a medical facility. The patient is lying on a narrow bed that is part of the PET scanning machine.

The study aims to explore the structural, neuro-vascular, and biochemical differences in the brains of individuals with ME/CFS, Long COVID, and POTS to elucidate the underlying pathology and identify potential targets for effective treatment strategies.

MELLOW: Tracking Hormone Fluctuations in ME/CFS and Long COVID

The image shows a female scientist working inside a lab. She is wearing a white lab coat, blue gloves, and a surgical mask. The scientist is using a pipette to transfer a liquid into a container.

The study aims to investigate how hormone fluctuations in individuals with ME/CFS and Long COVID, compared to healthy controls, impact metabolism and immune pathways by measuring hormones, metabolites, and inflammation markers in biofluid samples.

25-Day Metabolite Monitoring Study of ME/CFS Patients

The image is a visual representation of blood flow, depicting a stream of elements against a gradient background that suggests movement and fluidity.

The study aims to investigate the effects of supine vs upright exercise on cerebral blood flow, blood pressure, heart rate, and the presence of autoimmune antibodies in ME/CFS patients with orthostatic intolerance, compared to controls, to understand the underlying mechanisms and differences in symptom severity and post-exertional malaise.

Crash-Course: Studying PEM/flares in ME/CFS, PTLDS, Long COVID

a close-up of a finger with a drop of blood on it, against a white background.

The study aims to compare biological markers during mild symptoms and flare/PEM events in individuals with ME/CFS, alongside PTLDS and Long COVID patients, using finger-prick blood samples and continuous data from wearable sensors to understand symptom variability.

25-Day Metabolite Monitoring Study of ME/CFS patients

The image depicts a healthcare professional in the process of collecting a blood sample from a patient. The professional is wearing blue gloves and a surgical mask, following proper sanitary protocols to ensure a sterile environment.

The study aims to meticulously analyze daily changes in metabolites from blood samples of individuals with ME/CFS over 25 days, to uncover the complex biological processes contributing to the condition and facilitate patient clustering by dynamic changes, thereby addressing the challenge of clinical and biological diversity within the ME/CFS population.

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Microvesicles and viral sequencing
Microvesicles are a type of extracellular vesicle that is released from the cell membrane. Vesicles are small, fluid-filled sacs or vacuoles within the body. Sequencing is a technique used to determine the exact sequence of bases (A, C, G, and T) in a DNA (or viral) molecule.
NMR Metabolomics
NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) is an instrument/tool used to perform metabolic studies, metabolic profiling, and metabolomics in biofluids and tissues for more than 40 years using magnetic fields. There is a very close connection between metabolic measurements and NMR. This connection has flourished because of NMR’s many unique strengths for characterizing complex mixtures’ chemical composition.
Proteomics
The large-scale study of proteins, which are large, complex molecules that are required for structure, function, and regulation of the human body's tissues and organs.
Autoantibodies
Antibodies that react with self-molecules and that occur in healthy individuals and are referred to as natural antibodies or autoantibodies.
Extracellular DNA for viral reactivation and Mitochondrial DNA
exDNA (extracellular DNA), exDNA is often secreted actively and is used to perform several tasks, thereby offering an attractive target or tool for biotechnological, medical, environmental, and general microbiological applications. Viruses are intracellular parasites that rely to a significant extent on the host cell for replication. Viral reactivation occurs when an active replication of the viral genome results in a lytic (degradation of the cell) infection characterized by the release of new progeny (descendant) virus particles.
Immune cell profiling
The immune system has many important regulatory roles in disease development and progression. Given the emergence of effective immune therapies, reliable predictors of response are needed. Immune cell profiling determines response by evaluating immune cell populations from treated and untreated samples. For our purposes, we will evaluate the white blood cell response to the viral infection using a process called “Cytof.”
Leukocyte Genomics
A leukocyte is a colorless cell circulating in the blood and body fluids and is involved in counteracting foreign substances and disease. A genome is all genetic material of an organism. Genomics is a biology field focusing on the structure, function, evolution, mapping, and editing of genomes. Therefore, leukocyte genomics is the study of all genetic material of leukocytes.
Metabolomics
Metabolomics is a way to study metabolism – that is, through measuring amounts of the metabolites (small molecules) produced by our bodies as we convert food into energy and other molecules that our cells need to survive. Metabolomics technology is ‘large-scale,’ meaning that several thousand metabolites can be measured from a single sample of e.g., blood or urine.
Micro RNA
Cells use Micro RNA to control whether a particular gene is making too much, too little or the normal amount of its protein at a particular time.