Sweetman, Eiren, Kleffmann, Torsten, Edgar, Christina et al. · Journal of translational medicine · 2020 · DOI
Researchers examined immune cells from ME/CFS patients and compared them to healthy controls, looking at which proteins were present and in what amounts. They found that ME/CFS patients had different patterns of proteins, particularly ones involved in how cells produce energy (through structures called mitochondria). These findings suggest that people with ME/CFS may have problems with energy production in their cells, which could explain why fatigue and post-exertional malaise are core symptoms of the disease.
This study provides molecular evidence that mitochondrial dysfunction and impaired energy production are real features of ME/CFS, rather than the disease being primarily psychological. Identifying specific protein abnormalities offers potential biomarkers that could help diagnose ME/CFS objectively and validate patients' experiences of genuine biological illness.
This small exploratory study (11 patients) does not prove causation—it shows which proteins differ but not whether mitochondrial problems directly cause ME/CFS or develop as a consequence of the disease. The findings require replication in larger, more diverse populations before they can be used clinically as diagnostic tests. Additionally, the study examined only blood cells, so it does not clarify whether the same dysfunction occurs in other tissues.
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
Sweetman, Eiren, Kleffmann, Torsten, Edgar, Christina, de Lange, Michel, Vallings, Rosamund, & Tate, Warren (2020). A SWATH-MS analysis of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome peripheral blood mononuclear cell proteomes reveals mitochondrial dysfunction.. Journal of translational medicine. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12967-020-02533-3
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-sweetman-2020-swath-analysis,
author = {Sweetman, Eiren and Kleffmann, Torsten and Edgar, Christina and de Lange, Michel and Vallings, Rosamund and Tate, Warren},
title = {A SWATH-MS analysis of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome peripheral blood mononuclear cell proteomes reveals mitochondrial dysfunction.},
journal = {Journal of translational medicine},
year = {2020},
doi = {10.1186/s12967-020-02533-3},
note = {PubMed: 32972442},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/sweetman-2020-swath-analysis},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-28. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/sweetman-2020-swath-analysis
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