"The results of the study show that the epigenetic test could be developed into a clinical biomarker for ME/CFS, said Dmitry Pshezhetskiy, a researcher-clinician at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, UK, and lead author of the study, in a press release that was published alongside the paper. "With no definitive tests, many patients have gone undiagnosed or misdiagnosed for years.""
"Epigenetic markers The underlying mechanisms of ME/CFS remain unclear, but evidence is building that one of the hallmarks of ME/CFS is immune dysregulation. The authors had already developed an assay that screens for epigenetic changes in immune cells in the blood, which they used to identify epigenetic signatures for a range of conditions including rheumatoid arthritis. The assay analyses the way DNA is folded inside peripheral blood mononuclear cells, a key part of the immune system."
An assay detects epigenetic changes in peripheral blood immune cells that can differentiate people with ME/CFS from others. ME/CFS is a debilitating long-term illness affecting an estimated 17–24 million people worldwide, with diagnosis hampered by lack of reliable tools. The assay analyses DNA folding inside peripheral blood mononuclear cells and has identified epigenetic signatures for other conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis. Initial results indicate potential for a simple blood-based clinical biomarker to confirm ME/CFS and enable earlier support, but validation in larger cohorts and further development are required before clinical use.
Read at Nature
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