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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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Serial Pediatrics Omics Tracking in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (SPOT-ME): Protocol Paper

The underlying biological mechanisms for ME/CFS remain unclear and have rarely been investigated in the adolescent population, despite this period representing an age peak in the overall incidence. 

We’re pleased to share the ‘Serial Pediatrics Omics Tracking in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (SPOT-ME)’ protocol paper from the Melbourne ME/CFS Collaboration.

Image description 1: The image features Chris Armstrong, who is in an outdoor setting with a mountainous landscape in the background. He is wearing a suit and standing on a paved area surrounded by greenery and modern structures.

From the Desk of Dr. Chris Armstrong
Melbourne ME/CFS Collaboration

The Serial Pediatrics Omics Tracking in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (SPOT-ME) study explores clinical and biological factors in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) among adolescents aged 12–19, a critical time when this illness can seriously affect education, social life, and overall development and well-being. To date, very little biological data have been produced on young people with ME/CFS, this work aims to change that and provide a detailed picture of this disease.

ME/CFS patients and healthy control participants will attend a single clinical visit for initial evaluation. Afterward, those with ME/CFS will provide dried blood and urine samples and complete symptom surveys at home over several months. Sampling on both “typical” days and “crash” days, when symptoms markedly worsen, will allow us to detect biological changes driving these episodes. 

Our work represents one of the most extensive examinations of pediatric ME/CFS to date. By integrating extensive biological data with clinical evaluations, we aim to provide a clearer picture on the impact of ME/CFS in pediatric patients and to better understand the mechanism of the disease.

The purpose of a protocol paper is to outline the research question, methodology, data analysis plan, and ethical considerations. Subsequent papers will share the results of this research. 

Read the protocol paper here. 

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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.