ME/CFS Conference 2023: follow-up article published in Autoimmunity Reviews

A summary of the second international ME/CFS conference of the Charité Fatigue Center has now been published as a scientific journal article in Autoimmunity Reviews. 

Understanding, Diagnosing, and Treating ME/CFS – State of the Art

On 11-12 May 2023, the second international ME/CFS conference of the Charité Fatigue Center was held in Berlin, Germany, focusing on pathomechanisms, diagnosis, and treatment of ME/CFS (Myalgic Enzephalomyelitis / Chronic Fatigue-Syndrome). During the two-day conference, more than 100 researchers from various research fields met on-site and over 700 attendees participated online to discuss the state of the art and novel findings in the field of ME/CFS (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis / Chronic Fatigue Syndrome). ME/CFS Research Foundation has funded and supported the organisation of the conference, the proceedings of which have now been published in Autoimmunity Reviews , recently.

Key topics from the conference included: the role of the immune system, dysfunction of endothelial and autonomic nervous system, and viral reactivation. Furthermore, there were presentations on innovative diagnostic measures and assessments for this complex disease, cutting-edge treatment approaches, and clinical trials. Despite the increased public attention due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the subsequent rise of Long COVID and Post-COVID Syndrome, and the increase in funding opportunities to unravel the pathomechanisms underlying ME/CFS, this severe disease remains highly under-researched. Adequately funded research efforts are needed urgently to further explore the disease etiology and to identify diagnostic markers and targeted therapies.

In summary, recent advances in ME/CFS research, diagnosis, and treatment were discussed at this two-day meeting. Several innovative diagnostic and therapeutic approaches presented provide promising concepts of care for ME/CFS patients. The importance of translating research findings into therapeutic strategies was highlighted to improve the clinical outcomes of ME/CFS patients.

Presentations by leading international ME/CFS experts

The review article summaries conference keynotes and presentations by leading international experts, including talks by Yehuda Shoenfeld, Carmen Scheibenbogen, Anthony L. Komaroff and Leonard A. Jason on ME/CFS as part of the Post-COVID Syndrome. Brief overviews are provided on presentations held by Uta Behrends, Pawel Zalewski, Max Liebl, Carsten Finke, Christian Veauthier and Peter Rowe on the adequate diagnosis of ME/CFS as well as on talks on the disease mechanisms by Francisco Westermeier, Martina Seifert, Christian Puta, Anna Aschenbrenner, Andreas Goebel, Bettina Hohberger, Nuno Sepúlveda, and Bhupesh Prusty. The article concludes with outlining presentations held by Luis Nacul, Michael Stingl, Andrea Maier, Johannes-Peter Haas, Laura Froehlich, and Bettina Grande on general treatment of ME/CFS along with summarie of the insights provided on ongoing clinical trials and novel treatment concepts by Elisa Stein, Wolfgang Ries, Øystein Fluge, and Klaus Wirth.

How to access article and summaries of the ME/CFS Conference 2023?

The review article on the ME/CFS Conference 2023 titled “Understanding, Diagnosing, and Treating Myalgic Encephalomyelitis / Chronic Fatigue Syndrome – State of the Art: Report of the 2nd International Meeting at the Charité Fatigue Center” by Steiner et al. can be accessed in Autoimmunity Reviews (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autrev.2023.103452) .

Short summaries of the presentations at the ME/CFS Conference 2023 are also provided by the ME/CFS Research Foundation and the German Society for ME/CFS (Deutsche Gesellschaft für ME/CFS). The summaries (in German and English) as well as video recordings of all presentations can be viewed on our website.

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We thank the team of the Charité Fatigue Center and all contributing researchers for this valuable work!

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How can you support the work of the ME/CFS Research Foundation?

There is still a long way to go before diagnosis, care and treatment of ME/CFS patients will one day become a medical and social standard. We at the ME/CFS Research Foundation are focussing on biomedical research, which we see as the key element in solving these problems (more on this in our research funding strategy). To do this, we need extensive support from private donors - patients, relatives, families, friends, associations, schools, networks, companies, initiatives, event organisers and all supporters. And if you can't support us directly, maybe you can share our story and motivate others to help. Because only together is such a feat possible.

We fully translate donations and other support into scientifically excellent research, networking and ultimately visible successes, i.e. better ME/CFS diagnostics and therapies. We are happy to work together with other organisations and initiatives - please contact us!