Western key hub for Horizon Europe-funded project studying disabling chronic illness

Western is the only institution outside Europe in DISCOVER-ME, an international research initiative led by MedUni Vienna and funded through Horizon Europe. It receives €7.5 million, about $12.2 million CAD. The project targets myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), which affects an estimated 17 to 24 million people worldwide.

There are no validated laboratory tests or biomarkers for diagnosis. The consortium will collect and analyze data from more than 700 patients and nearly 200 control participants, alongside 2,000 detailed clinical datasets.

Schulich professor Dr. Douglas Fraser and computer science professor Mark Daley, Western’s chief AI officer, will lead Western’s role as a key analytical hub. Blood samples collected across Europe will be analyzed at Western using proteomics, metabolomics, machine learning and AI to look at immune function, metabolism, hormones and mitochondrial activity.

Fraser says the team will bring the framework from its long COVID precision medicine trial to ME/CFS.