The Foundation has extensively supported the Complex Chronic Diseases Program at BCCDC and BC Women’s Hospital; BCCDC scientists David Patrick, Jennifer Gardy and Muhammad Morshed have led a large group project with a number of published reports, including a recent piece published in Oxford Academic’s Clinical Infectious Diseases.
Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), a debilitating syndrome characterized by fatigue, impaired sleep, cognitive issues, pain and other symptoms, remains poorly understood. Some researchers think that infections trigger the syndrome; however an infectious agent has yet to be identified. Researchers also speculate that CFS could be due to an unusual immune response. Using blood samples collected from adult CFS patients, the study team analyzed gene expression levels, immune cell receptors, and potential viral infections and found that while there was no specific viral infections found, there may be some differences in CFS patients’ long-term immune responses. The team is currently following up this story using a new immunosignature assay developed by collaborators in the US.
The article is titled, “RNA-Seq Analysis of Gene Expression, Viral Pathogen, and B-Cell/T-Cell Receptor Signatures in Complex Chronic Disease”. The full article can be read via open access at this link.
