Solve ME/CFS Catalyst Awards

In the next phase of advancing our mission to make ME/CFS, Long Covid, and associated chronic conditions widely understood, diagnosable, and treatable, Solve is proud to offer the ME/CFS Catalyst Awards.

Launched on World ME Day in 2025, the Catalyst Awards program is a focused initiative to support promising research projects that have already made significant strides in advancing our understanding of ME/CFS, Long Covid, and associated conditions and are poised to deliver meaningful results with just a bit more support. These awards will accelerate progress, providing targeted funding to help outstanding studies reach completion, publication, or the next phase of investigation faster.

By spotlighting projects with strong potential widespread impact, the Catalyst Awards ensure that vital progress doesn’t stall—and that innovative science continues to move forward regardless of federal funding cycles.

In February 2026, Solve funded GLP-1 and immune target studies to accelerate ME/CFS and Long Covid breakthroughs.

The study, led by Professor Carmen Scheibenbogen (Institute of Medical Immunology, Charité), investigates whether semaglutide—a GLP-1 receptor agonist—can improve symptoms and quality of life for people with ME/CFS who are receiving treatment for being overweight. 

The study led by Professors Liisa Selin, MD, PhD, (Professor, Dept of Pathology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School), Roshan Kumar, PhD (Executive Director, Head of Translational Medicine at HiFiBiO Therapeutics), and Ayano Kohlgruber, PhD (Assistant Professor at Boston Children’s Hospital), aims to identify the specific proteins that trigger dysfunctional immune responses in ME/CFS and Long Covid, paving the way for new diagnostic tools and targeted treatments.

Learn more about the February 2026 honorees here.

Learn more about the 2025 winners of the Solve ME/CFS Catalyst Awards Dr. Akiko Iwasaki here, and Simmaron Research here.

For information about the Catalyst Awards, contact Research@SolveCFS.org.

The Solve ME/CFS Catalyst Awards are made possible by people like you!

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