A network medicine approach to investigating ME/CFS pathogenesis in severely ill patients: a pilot study

[SWAlexander]

Worth reading.
This pilot study harnessed the power of network medicine to unravel the complex pathogenesis of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS). By utilizing a network analysis on whole genome sequencing (WGS) data from the Severely Ill Patient Study (SIPS), we identified ME/CFS-associated proteins and delineated the corresponding network-level module, termed the SIPS disease module, together with its relevant pathways. This module demonstrated significant overlap with genes implicated in fatigue, cognitive disorders, and neurodegenerative diseases. Our pathway analysis revealed potential associations between ME/CFS and conditions such as COVID-19, Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) infection, neurodegenerative diseases, and pathways involved in cortisol synthesis and secretion, supporting the hypothesis that ME/CFS is a neuroimmune disorder. Additionally, our findings underscore a potential link between ME/CFS and estrogen signaling pathways, which may elucidate the higher prevalence of ME/CFS in females. These findings provide insights into the pathogenesis of ME/CFS from a network medicine perspective and highlight potential therapeutic targets. Further research is needed to validate these findings and explore their implications for improving diagnosis and treatment.

We examined the nine genes with recurrent variants in the SIPS patients (Figure 1), specifically ACADL, BRCA1, CFTR, COX10, HABP2, MFRP, PCLO, PRKN, and ZFPM2.

https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/human-neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2025.1509346/full

 

[andyguitar]

Additionally, our findings underscore a potential link between ME/CFS and estrogen signaling pathways, which may elucidate the higher prevalence of ME/CFS in females

Sounds interesting.

 

[Rufous McKinney]

What is Network Medicine, I ask?

Googling says:

Network medicine is a field that uses network science and systems biology to understand disease by analyzing the complex interactions between biological components, aiming to improve diagnosis, prevention, and treatment.

• Examples of Network Components:
  • Proteins
    
    
  • Genes
    
    
  • Metabolites
    
    
  • RNA molecules
    
• Network Medicine and Pathobiology:
  Network medicine approaches complex pathobiology as the sequela of perturbations that involve closely linked multiple molecular network components rather than a direct consequence of a single gene or molecular defect.
  
  
  

 

[SWAlexander]

May I add my remarks and a collected list of overlapping symptoms to:
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/human-neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2025.1509346/full

The list in Table 1 does not include research or diagnosis for:

 

[Wishful]

I highly doubt that ME is a single failure, so is unlikely to be revealed by a single biomarker or gene, so network medicine is a good approach. I'm less convinced that it will be as simple as finding a pattern of genes or metabolites. There are likely to be developmental factors as well. I doubt that the size and position of capillaries or the closeness of two specific nerves will show up in gene maps, but could play a role in disease. Such research might reveal why some people have specific symptoms more severe than others. Even that might help lead to the core dysfunction.