ME/CFS research
Presentation of the ME/CFS research group and the ongoing clinical trials.
Senior Consultant Øystein Fluge and Professor Olav Mella supervise the ME/CFS research group at the Dept. of Oncology and Medical Physics at Haukeland University Hospital. The coordinator for the clinical trials is study nurse Kari Sørland. The research group consists of doctors and scientists, nurses, research technicians, molecular biologists and health and exercise therapists. The purpose of the research group is the investigation of possible medical treatments for ME/CFS and biological mechanisms involved in the disease.
Clinical trials investigating possible medical treatments for ME/CFS:
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RituxME – a national, randomized, double-blind and placebo controlled multicentre phase III study investigating the effect of treatment with the antibody rituximab in patients with ME/CFS.
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CycloME part A – a phase II study investigating the effect of treatment with the chemotherapy drug cyclophosphamide in patients with moderate to severe ME/CFS.
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CycloME part B – a phase II study investigating the effect of treatment with the chemotherapy drug cyclophosphamide in patients with severe to very severe ME/CFS.
The group also conducts ongoing laboratory experiments based on a biobank containing blood samples and other biological materials donated by the participants in the clinical trials. The purpose of the experiments is to identify disease mechanisms and biomarkers for ME/CFS.
Clinical studies into cell metabolism (at the University of Bergen) and immunology (at Oslo University Hospital) based on the biobank are conducted in collaboration with the research group at Haukeland.
The research has been made possible by generous donations from the Kavli Trust, MEandYou, the Norwegian ME associations and private contributors. The RituxME trial has received grants from the Norwegian Research Council, the Ministry of Health and Care Services and the regional health authorities. Additionally, each study centre makes a significant contribution to the execution of the clinical trials.
Please note that all patients included in the clinical trials must be members of the Norwegian national health care system. However, we hope that the findings and results from our research will ultimately benefit ME patients both in Norway and abroad.
Activity monitoring in ME/CFS
In 2020, the ME/CFS research group at Haukeland University Hospital/University of Bergen performed the study “Activity monitoring in ME/CFS» – also known as the “Fitbit study.” The study results have now been published in the PLoS One journal.
Read more about the study: Activity monitoring in ME/CFS
Questions and Answers
Published articles
- Metabolic profiling indicates impaired pyruvate dehydrogenase function in myalgic encephalopathy / chronic fatigue syndrome
- Benefit from B-Lymphocyte Depletion Using the Anti-CD20 Antibody Rituximab in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. A Double-Blind and Placebo-Controlled Study
- Clinical impact of B-cell depletion with the anti-CD20 antibody rituximab in chronic fatigue syndrome: a preliminary case series
- B-Lymphocyte Depletion in Myalgic Encephalopathy/ Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. An Open-Label Phase II Study with Rituximab Maintenance Treatment
- Antibodies to ß adrenergic and muscarinic cholinergic receptors in patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
- Immunosignature Analysis of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
- Rituximab serum concentrations and anti-rituximab antibodies during B-cell depletion therapy for ME/CFS
- B-lymphocyte Depletion in patients with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial
- No effect of rituximab treatment in patients with ME/CFS
- Intravenous Cyclophosphamide in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. An Open-Label Phase II Study
- Reduced endothelial function in ME/CFS – results from cyclophosphamide study