CURE-ME | Münchner Chronische Fatigue Centrum für junge Menschen (MCFC)

Myalgic encephalomyelitis / chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is a chronic multisystem disorder that often leads to severe disability and, in most cases, develops following an acute infection. Treatment options remain very limited, as the underlying causes of the disease are not yet fully understood and no targeted therapies have been approved to date. ME/CFS affects not only adults but also children and adolescents. Particularly in younger patients, the disease is associated with substantial impairments in social participation and daily functioning. Whether similar pathomechanisms underlie the disease across children, adolescents, and adults remain largely unclear. The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) has been associated with the onset of autoimmunity and the development of ME/CFS across all age groups. EBV may contribute to the development of post-infectious ME/CFS through several mechanisms, including the generation of antibodies against EBV-derived proteins that share homology with autoantigens as well as the induction of autoreactive B cells. Consequently, the relationship between EBV and ME/CFS has become the focus of several ongoing research initiatives.

The CURE-ME (Characterizing Autoimmune Responses and Defining Targets in ME/CFS) collaborative project, coordinated at Charité, Berlin, investigates EBV as a potential driver of dysregulated autoreactive T- and B-cell responses in ME/CFS. The consortium builds on longstanding expertise in autoimmune diseases and ME/CFS research, including extensive clinical research experience at Charité and MCFC, which provide unique patient cohorts across age groups and well-characterized sample collections.

The MCFC contributes routine clinical data and biosamples from children, adolescents, and very young adults and performs blood-based analyses in affected individuals across all age groups and consortium sites. The project focuses on immune profiles exhibiting cross-reactivity with EBV, as well as on additional biomarkers, such as neuronal autoantibodies. These markers are systematically analyzed using eukaryotically expressed recombinant antigens and evaluated in conjunction with clinical data to assess their relevance for disease pathogenesis and diagnostics. We expect that the results of the CURE-ME project will contribute to a better understanding of the pathomechanisms underlying post-infectious ME/CFS and support the identification of biomarkers for early and specific diagnosis as well as potential targets for novel therapeutic strategies.