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ME Research UK is delighted to announce that we have awarded funding to Prof. Jo Nijs at Vrije Universiteit Brussel in Belgium, for new PhD-level research exploring the links between mitochondrial function and the autonomic nervous system in ME/CFS. This project is possible thanks to the financial support of the Fred and Joan Davies Bequest. The research team includes Dr Andrea Polli, Dr Jolien Hendrix, and PhD student Jente Van Campenhout.
Prof. Nijs and colleagues are investigating the relationship between two features of ME/CFS thought to contribute to its symptoms. Dysfunction of the mitochondria (responsible for energy production in cells) may be an important factor in the disease, while there is also evidence of abnormalities in the autonomic nervous system (which controls heart rate, circulation, etc.).
This PhD project will compare mitochondrial function between groups of ME/CFS patients divided according to the autonomic symptoms they experience. As well as understanding the disease process better, subgrouping patients could help improve diagnosis and selecting treatments.
