The NMCB (Netherlands ME/CFS Cohort and Biobank) cohort study is a national, patient-focused research consortium led by Amsterdam UMC, studying ME/CFS, post-COVID, and post-Lyme syndromes.
The NMCB consortium leads six major research projects designed to advance our understanding of ME/CFS: its causes, diagnostic markers and treatment options. These projects explore immune dysfunction, muscle pathology, brain changes and links with post-acute infectious syndromes (PAIS).
The current research within NMCB comprises six targeted projects:
- AutonoME — investigating the hypothesis that autoimmune processes underlie ME/CFS symptoms, based on prior work in long COVID models.
- EnergiseME — evaluating how immune cell metabolism and mitochondrial function are altered in ME/CFS patients through blood sampling and advanced imaging.
- IMMUNESTRATIFY — identifying molecular immune signatures in ME/CFS patients that could serve as stratification tools for future personalised treatment.
- Brain changes in ME/CFS — a post-mortem programme (in collaboration with the Netherlands Brain Bank) analysing neuro-endocrine, microglial and mitochondrial mechanisms in the brains of ME/CFS donors.
- Converging neurobiological and immune pathways in ME/CFS and PAIS — exploring overlaps between ME/CFS and post-acute infectious syndromes to uncover shared mechanisms.
- MuscleME — investigating skeletal-muscle related symptoms in ME/CFS, comparing muscle structure and function, and studying exercise-induced symptom exacerbation.
By establishing this coordinated cohort and biobank infrastructure, NMCB provides high-quality biological data to support biomarker discovery, patient stratification, and the development of targeted therapies for ME/CFS.
Website: nmcb.eu
Contact person: Kate Mudie