Eguchi, Akiko, Kuratsune, Hirohiko, Nakatomi, Yasuhito et al. · Journal of translational medicine · 2026 · DOI
Researchers analysed tiny particles called extracellular vesicles in blood samples from patients with ME/CFS, chronic fatigue without a known cause, and depression, looking for differences in small RNA molecules that could help diagnose ME/CFS. They found a pattern of 114 different RNA molecules that appeared associated with ME/CFS and were rarely seen in healthy people, though these findings come from a small group of patients and have not yet been replicated in larger studies.
If replicated in larger cohorts, EV-associated miRNA patterns could support objective biomarker development for ME/CFS and help clinicians distinguish ME/CFS from overlapping conditions such as idiopathic chronic fatigue and depression. The pathway analysis offers preliminary insights into candidate molecular systems—neuronal connectivity, cellular scaffolding, and metabolic regulation—that may be altered in ME/CFS, by analogy suggesting potential targets for mechanism research.
This study does not establish that miRNA dysregulation causes ME/CFS pathology, nor does it confirm the proposed mechanisms (focal adhesion, PI3K–Akt signalling, endocrine dysfunction) are operative in ME/CFS. The very small sample size (n=6 ME/CFS cases) and lack of external validation mean the 87–93.7% cross-validation accuracy is not yet generalizable to new patient populations. This is not a diagnostic test recommendation, and findings require independent replication before clinical use.
About the PEM badge: “PEM required” means post-exertional malaise was an explicit required diagnostic criterion for participant inclusion in this study — not that PEM was studied, observed, or discussed. Studies using criteria that do not require PEM (e.g. Fukuda, Oxford) are tagged “PEM not required”. How the atlas works →
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Primary citation
Eguchi, Akiko, Kuratsune, Hirohiko, Nakatomi, Yasuhito, Yasui, Takao, Nakagawa, Ryo, Watanabe, Yasuyoshi, et al. (2026). Circulating extracellular vesicles-microRNAs as potential biomarkers for the identification of ME/CFS: differentiating fatigue-related conditions.. Journal of translational medicine. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12967-026-08695-w
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-eguchi-2026-circulating-extracellular,
author = {Eguchi, Akiko and Kuratsune, Hirohiko and Nakatomi, Yasuhito and Yasui, Takao and Nakagawa, Ryo and Watanabe, Yasuyoshi and Fukuda, Sanae},
title = {Circulating extracellular vesicles-microRNAs as potential biomarkers for the identification of ME/CFS: differentiating fatigue-related conditions.},
journal = {Journal of translational medicine},
year = {2026},
doi = {10.1186/s12967-026-08695-w},
note = {PubMed: 42533331},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/eguchi-2026-circulating-extracellular},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-08-02. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/eguchi-2026-circulating-extracellular
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