T and B cell responses in ME/CFS

Prof Birgit Sawitzki provided insights into the examination of autoreactive B cells and presented evidence of sustained interaction between B and T cells in secondary lymphoid organs (e.g., lymph nodes or spleen) in ME/CFS. In the so-called germinal centers, B cells proliferate after antigen exposure with the support of T helper cells and undergo maturation. There is evidence that this process remains active in ME/CFS and Long COVID patients even after the acute infection has subsided, promoting a sustained immune response. To better understand the underlying mechanisms, Prof Sawitzki's research group is phenotyping immune cells using multiplex immunocytometry, which analyses characteristic surface features of immune cells. In addition, comprehensive analyses of the proteins circulating in blood plasma (plasma proteomics) are planned. The research results could be used in the future, among other things, to stratify patient groups for immunomodulatory therapies, such as immunoadsorption studies. Immunoadsorption involves the targeted removal of autoantibodies or immune complexes from the blood. Furthermore, a normalisation of B cell populations was observed in responders in an immunoadsorption study. Preliminary analyses of a placebo-controlled study confirm these results.