Muscle, blood vessel, and immune cell interactions in ME/CFS muscles
Official title: Dissecting myogenic-endothelial-immune interactomes in human ME/CFS skeletal muscles
Funded at Cornell University · NIH-11501140 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project uses detailed single-cell and chromatin tests on muscle biopsies and blood from people with ME/CFS to learn how muscle, vascular, and immune cells might cause severe fatigue.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Cornell University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Ithaca, United States) |
| Project start | September 30, 2017 |
| Project end | March 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $407,482 |
| NIH project number | 5U54AI178855-09 |
| Project ID | NIH-11501140 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants are adults diagnosed with ME/CFS who can safely undergo a skeletal muscle biopsy and provide blood samples.
✕Less likely to help
People without ME/CFS or those unable or unwilling to have a muscle biopsy are unlikely to receive direct benefit from participating.
What this research studies
Researchers will collect new skeletal muscle biopsy and blood samples from people with ME/CFS and matched healthy controls. They will apply single-cell methods including ATAC-seq and related assays to map cell types, gene activity, and chromatin accessibility in muscle tissue. The team will focus on myogenic (muscle), endothelial (blood vessel), and muscle-resident immune cells to characterize their identities and interactions. Results will be compared to metabolic and inflammatory signals to look for biomarkers or targets linked to fatigue.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could reveal muscle-based biological signals that lead to better biomarkers and new targets for ME/CFS treatments.
How similar studies have gone: Single-cell and chromatin-accessibility methods have revealed mechanisms in other muscle and inflammatory diseases, but applying these tools to ME/CFS is relatively new and exploratory.
Where this research is happening
-
Cornell University
Ithaca, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Cosgrove, Benjamin David — Cornell University
- Study coordinator: Cosgrove, Benjamin David
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.