Skeletal Muscle Dysfunction Research

STUDY HYPOTHESIS AND DESCRIPTION

Post Exertional Malaise (PEM) is the key feature of ME/CFS, given the extensive characterization of muscle exertion and recovery in healthy people, the evaluation may indicate how the disease perpetuates.

The hypothesis is that the inflammation-related recovery mechanisms become dysfunctional in the ME/CFS disease, and this dysregulation causes a delayed recovery of muscle after exertional stress.

 STUDY DESIGN

Muscle biopsy samples will be taken from ME/CFS patients both at rest and eventually during their recovery from mild to moderate muscular stress. Comparisons will be made to healthy volunteers also at rest, during recovery from muscular stress, and during immobilization.

Using muscle samples, this study will examine the following:
Genomics

• Proteomics
• Metabolomics
• Phospho-proteomics
• Ultrastructural analysis
• Mitobiogenetic markers