Severely ill Patient Study
STUDY AIM
The aim of the Severely Ill Patient Study (SIPS), which started in 2015, was to conduct a comprehensive “Big Data” analysis on severely ill ME/CFS patients in order to begin an exploration to find the molecular basis of ME/CFS.
LEAD INVESTIGATORS
- Ronald W. Davis, PhD
- Wenzhong Xiao, PhD
UPDATES AND POTENTIAL
STUDY HYPOTHESIS AND DESCRIPTION
The hypothesis of the study was that molecular differences would show the strongest signal in severe cases of the illness when compared to healthy controls.
OBJECTIVES

Using samples of saliva, blood, urine and feces, this big data study examines the following:
- Genome
- Gene expression on individual immune cell types
- Metabolomics
- Microbiome
- Cell-free DNA sequencing and quantitation
- Cytokines
- Clinical tests
The value of a study of this magnitude is that it provides a foundation of invaluable information to generate hypotheses and to develop diagnostics and treatments. Further, all samples from one patient are taken at one point in time, enabling all measurements to reflect exactly what was happening in the body at that one time point. This allows the possibility for the discovery of biomarkers involving the relationships between different body systems that would not ordinarily be found.