Researchers seem to have a habit of being over-optimistic, but perhaps he means that he hopes to gain some meaningful insights into the disease mechanism over the next few years. Considering the huge scope of his research program, perhaps it's not unrealistic to expect that he will find some meaningful insights, and some answers, and some sort of treatment, even if there isn't a cure.
If they find a reliable biomarker, or biomarkers, and a treatment that at least stabilises the illness (or improves it even a little), then that will be very welcome and a million miles from what we have now. (Frustratingly, I've already found a drug that helps to stabilise my symptoms - gabapentin - but I can't take it because of the side effects.)
Lipkin's research program includes: a hunt for pathogens in blood, cerebro-spinal fluid, and the digestive tract microbiome; testing for antibodies to pathogens; searching for autoantibodies; metabolomics; proteomics; immune signatures. And Lipkin does other spontaneous testing with his own money that he doesn't always tell us about, when he's interested in following a particular kind of enquiry. And what have I forgotten? Is he looking at gene expression?
Currently they are still underfunded, and my understanding is that the CII staff are giving their time for free to ME/CFS research, and fitting it around their regular remunerated work.