Rydland, Anne, Yran, Elena Støvring, Nyman, Tuula A et al. · Biochemistry and biophysics reports · 2026 · DOI
Researchers compared tiny particles called extracellular vesicles (EVs) in the blood of 49 ME/CFS patients and 50 healthy controls. They found that ME/CFS patients had higher concentrations of these particles, and 11 proteins inside them were observed at different levels in ME/CFS compared to controls—though these differences did not remain statistically significant after accounting for multiple comparisons. The study is exploratory and the authors note that further investigation is needed to understand whether these EV changes are relevant to ME/CFS.
This is the largest plasma extracellular vesicle proteomics study in ME/CFS to date, opening a new window into potential biomarkers that reflect disease state. If confirmed in future studies, EV protein signatures could become minimally invasive tools to aid diagnosis or monitor disease progression. Understanding the source cells of altered EV proteins (erythroid, hepatic, and B-cell origin) may provide clues to which tissues are most involved in ME/CFS pathophysiology.
This study does not establish that EV protein differences cause ME/CFS symptoms or contribute to post-exertional malaise. It does not confirm a mechanism linking EV cargo to disease pathology. The cross-sectional design cannot determine whether observed protein differences are a cause or consequence of the disease. The failure of individual protein findings to withstand multiple-testing correction means none can be treated as a validated biomarker without replication.
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
Rydland, Anne, Yran, Elena Støvring, Nyman, Tuula A, Strand, Elin Bolle, Trøseid, Anne-Marie Siebke, Øvstebø, Reidun, et al. (2026). Exploring differences in protein cargo of extracellular vesicles from ME/CFS patient plasma compared to healthy controls.. Biochemistry and biophysics reports. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbrep.2026.102679
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-rydland-2026-exploring-differences,
author = {Rydland, Anne and Yran, Elena Støvring and Nyman, Tuula A and Strand, Elin Bolle and Trøseid, Anne-Marie Siebke and Øvstebø, Reidun and Heinicke, Fatima and Lie, Benedicte A and Viken, Marte K},
title = {Exploring differences in protein cargo of extracellular vesicles from ME/CFS patient plasma compared to healthy controls.},
journal = {Biochemistry and biophysics reports},
year = {2026},
doi = {10.1016/j.bbrep.2026.102679},
note = {PubMed: 42375682},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/rydland-2026-exploring-differences},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-07-08. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/rydland-2026-exploring-differences
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