Examination of Genes Expressed in Immune Cells from Patients and Controls

Project summary by Cornell University

The Center for Enervating Neuroimmune Disease, directed by Professor Maureen Hanson, has current projects on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) that are being carried out at Cornell University and at Weill Cornell Medical College (WCMC). A project led by Associate Professor Andrew Grimson at Cornell examines genes expressed in immune cells from patients and controls and how gene expression changes following an exercise challenge. Projects led by Dr. Hanson include characterization of the cargo of extracellular vesicles released from cells and the metabolites and proteins present in plasma, and how these molecules change following a maximal exercise test. Dr. Hanson’s group recently published a review concerning the role of enteroviruses in ME/CFS. Using funding from WE&ME (former TEMPI foundation), her lab is investigating whether past or current infection by enteroviruses could result in the many debilitating symptoms of the disease