Liu, Zheng, Hollmann, Claudia, Kalanidhi, Sharada et al. · Brain, behavior, & immunity - health · 2026 · DOI
This study found that antibodies (immune proteins) from ME/CFS patients can damage the mitochondria—the energy-producing parts of cells—and change how cells function. Researchers isolated antibodies from ME/CFS patients and added them to healthy cells in the lab, discovering that these antibodies caused changes in cell energy production and inflammation. This suggests that abnormal antibodies may be part of what makes ME/CFS patients feel exhausted and unwell.
This research provides mechanistic evidence that autoimmune dysfunction—specifically abnormal antibodies—directly impairs cellular energy metabolism in ME/CFS, supporting the biological validity of post-infectious ME/CFS as an organic disease. Understanding how these antibodies damage cellular function opens avenues for targeted therapeutic interventions that could address a fundamental disease mechanism rather than merely symptom management.
This study does not prove that antibody-mediated mitochondrial changes are the sole or primary cause of ME/CFS symptoms in patients, as the experiments were conducted in isolated cell cultures, not living organisms. The correlation between in vitro cellular changes and clinical disease severity remains unclear. Additionally, the study cannot establish whether these antibody changes are a cause or consequence of underlying ME/CFS pathology.
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 →
The first block is for the primary paper and is the citation you should use in research work. The atlas-snapshot line only applies if you are specifically referring to this atlas’s reading of the paper on the date shown.
Primary citation
Liu, Zheng, Hollmann, Claudia, Kalanidhi, Sharada, Lamer, Stephanie, Schlosser, Andreas, Basens, Emils Edgars, et al. (2026). Immunoglobulin G complexes from post-infectious ME/CFS, including post-COVID ME/CFS disrupt cellular energetics and alter inflammatory marker secretion.. Brain, behavior, & immunity - health. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbih.2026.101187
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-liu-2026-immunoglobulin-complexes,
author = {Liu, Zheng and Hollmann, Claudia and Kalanidhi, Sharada and Lamer, Stephanie and Schlosser, Andreas and Basens, Emils Edgars and Nikolayshvili, Georgy and Sokolovska, Liba and Riemekasten, Gabriela and Rust, Rebekka and Bellmann-Strobl, Judith and Paul, Friedemann and Naviaux, Robert K and Nora-Krukle, Zaiga and Sotzny, Franziska and Scheibenbogen, Carmen and Prusty, Bhupesh K},
title = {Immunoglobulin G complexes from post-infectious ME/CFS, including post-COVID ME/CFS disrupt cellular energetics and alter inflammatory marker secretion.},
journal = {Brain, behavior, & immunity - health},
year = {2026},
doi = {10.1016/j.bbih.2026.101187},
note = {PubMed: 41704659},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/liu-2026-immunoglobulin-complexes},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-28. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/liu-2026-immunoglobulin-complexes
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