Chronic fatigue syndrome: UK researchers say they’ve developed the first blood test to help diagnose myalgic encephalomyelitis or chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), a condition that currently lacks a definitive lab test and is often diagnosed only after years of symptoms.
The team from the University of East Anglia (UEA) and Oxford Biodynamics (OBD) reports that an “epigenetic” signature, in how DNA folds, can distinguish people with ME/CFS from healthy controls. In a study published in the Journal of Translational Medicine, the test identified ME/CFS with 92% sensitivity and 98% specificity using blood samples from 47 patients with severe ME/CFS and 61 healthy adults.
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Lead investigator Prof Dmitry Pshezhetskiy said a reliable lab tool could speed diagnosis and access to care for a disease long dismissed as “all in the head.”
OBD, which co-authored and funded the work, said its EpiSwitch platform targets epigenetic markers that change over a lifetime rather than fixed DNA. The company argues this approach explains the test’s reported accuracy.
Several independent experts welcomed the direction but warned that the findings are preliminary. Dr Charles Shepherd of the ME Association said any diagnostic test must prove it works in early disease, across mild-to-moderate cases, and against a broad range of look-alike conditions such as autoimmune and chronic inflammatory disorders.
Prof Chris Ponting of the University of Edinburgh called the claims “premature,” saying the assay requires independent, better-designed validation before clinical use, and, even if confirmed, could be costly (around £1,000).
