One of the most promising signs of progress in ME/CFS science today? Multiple datasets, collected independently across institutions, are starting to point in the same direction.
That’s what Francisco Westermeier, PhD, a cardiometabolic researcher at FH JOANNEUM University of Applied Sciences, Graz, Austria, is seeing in his work.
“When distinct datasets converge on similar disease signatures, it gives the field a much stronger and more reliable foundation.”
In this new written Q&A, part of our ongoing What’s New in ME/CFS? series, Dr. Westermeier shares what this turning point means for the field – and what’s needed to build on it.
Monique Wike (Solve M.E. Director of Advocacy) : What surprised you about your research?
Francisco Westermeier, PhD: What surprised us most was how clearly the data pointed toward the need for stratification. We began focused on cardiovascular and metabolic pathways, but sex, disease severity, and illness duration consistently emerged as key stratifying factors that reshape how we interpret ME/CFS biology.
MW: What’s changed in ME/CFS science in the last year?
FW: One of the most important changes in the last year has been the increasing number of studies approaching ME/CFS from multiple angles and disciplines, finally in line with its multisystem nature. This shift has been further accelerated by complementary evidence from the Long Covid field, which is reshaping how we understand ME/CFS and how we frame future research questions.
MW: If you had to make the case that ME/CFS science is on the edge of a breakthrough, what would you point to?
FW: I would point to the increasing number of independent cohorts now showing consistent biological differences between patients and controls. When distinct datasets converge on similar disease signatures, it gives the field a much stronger and more reliable foundation to identify the underlying mechanisms of ME/CFS.
MW: What feels different about doing ME/CFS research today compared to five or ten years ago?
FW: ME/CFS is now receiving broader and more sustained attention within the scientific community. This has encouraged more researchers to engage with the field, expanded opportunities for collaboration, and opened new avenues for research funding compared to five or ten years ago.
MW: If you had 60 seconds with a member of Congress or NIH staffer, what would you want them to know?
FW: I would say that ME/CFS represents a major, yet still underfunded, public health challenge. Increased investment in both basic and clinical research is essential not only to accelerate mechanistic understanding and its translation into practice, but also to reduce long-term healthcare costs and prevent chronic disability.
MW: What gives you hope when working in a field with so many barriers and gaps?
What gives me hope is that in recent years we’ve seen more funding, stronger collaboration across research groups, and a patient community that continues to participate in research with extraordinary commitment, despite the burden of severe illness.
MW: What would you study next if you had double the funding?
FW: With additional funding, I would focus on large, well-stratified cohorts to better characterize how sex, severity, and illness duration shape the biology of ME/CFS, with a particular focus on cardiometabolism.
MW: What would you say to an ME/CFS patient who is struggling to stay hopeful about their future?
FW: I would say that we are actively working to identify more pieces of the biological puzzle behind ME/CFS. Even when change is gradual, it is moving in the right direction. I am fully convinced of that.
MW: Your research has been supported by a Solve Ramsay Research Grant. How did that support make this work possible? What did it unlock for your team?
FW: This support allowed us to fund our very first hypotheses and generate our initial findings and publications. This would have been extremely difficult to pursue through conventional funding mechanisms. It also gave our team the chance to establish new collaborations and to pursue more ambitious research questions.
Even small steps forward in research can unlock major shifts. As Dr. Westermeier reminds us, patient participation and cross-disciplinary collaboration are fueling real progress.
