TRI-ME: trimetazidine for ME/CFS
Trimetazidine to treat ME/CFS: a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled efficacy trial
Tests whether trimetazidine, a heart medicine that helps cells burn fuel more efficiently (approved for angina in Europe and Asia), improves ME/CFS symptoms. Participants take tablets for 8 weeks and complete questionnaires.
Recruiting until 2029. Currently Victoria only. It’s worth asking whether interstate participation is possible.
TreatMELC: low-dose naltrexone for ME/CFS and Long COVID
Low Dose Naltrexone for ME/CFS and Long COVID (Griffith University NCNED)
A placebo-controlled trial of low-dose naltrexone (LDN) from Griffith University’s NCNED, the team behind the TRPM3 ion channel research. It will also look at immune, ion channel and brain measures to find a treatment biomarker. Capsules are posted to participants.
NCNED told us recruitment would open on 18 October 2026; the ANZCTR registry hasn’t been updated yet. To take part, join the NCNED research registry or contact the team. The general NCNED line, (07) 5678 9283 or ncned@griffith.edu.au, can also help.
Griffith NCNED research studies & surveys
Griffith University’s National Centre for Neuroimmunology and Emerging Diseases runs a rolling programme of mechanism studies (blood tests of ion channels and genetics, brain MRI) and online surveys (quality of life, economic impact, gut symptoms). Some include free immune testing or MRI. Join NCNED’s research registry (the “Study website” button) to be contacted about studies you may be eligible for.
The research registry link was provided directly by NCNED (September 2026).
AusME Registry & Biobank
Australia’s national ME/CFS and Long COVID registry and biobank, run by Emerge Australia. You fill in online surveys every few months, with optional blood donation, and your data supports Australian research. More than 2,700 people have joined.
When calling, press 3 for research and biobank (Tue–Thu, 8am–3:30pm AEDT).
CNIC Study: brain inflammation imaging in ME/CFS (Sunshine Coast)
The Chronic Neuroinflammation in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) Study
An Australian study using advanced MRI to look for signs of long-term brain inflammation in ME/CFS. It also measures the brain’s waste-clearance (glymphatic) system and inflammation markers in blood. People with and without ME/CFS are needed.
Participants receive $50 and an image of their brain scan. The MRI visit is in person, so plan rest around it.
FRIENDS: heart and brain study in women with Long COVID, ME/CFS or POTS (Melbourne)
FRIENDS study (Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute)
The Baker Institute is studying how the heart and brain are affected in women with Long COVID, ME/CFS or POTS. Participants, and healthy women for comparison, attend two visits in Melbourne (about 5 hours in total).
Baker’s study page asks for participants and has an “Apply to participate” form. We couldn’t find a registry entry. The visits include an exercise test and a tilt test, so if you have PEM, plan rest before and after, and ask the team what each test involves before you agree.
Diet, immune function and fatigue in ME/CFS (Swinburne, Melbourne)
Examining Diet, Immune Function, and Fatigue in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis patients
A Swinburne University study of how diet, inflammation and fatigue are linked in ME/CFS. You attend one appointment in Hawthorn, then the rest is done from home. People with ME/CFS are compared with healthy adults.
The study website is taking expressions of interest. The registry still says “Not yet recruiting” (last updated June 2026), but its planned enrolment period runs until 1 December 2026, so get in touch soon.
NALCOVID: low-dose naltrexone for Long COVID
Griffith University’s placebo-controlled trial of LDN for Long COVID brain fog, sleep problems and pain. People previously diagnosed with ME/CFS are excluded.
This trial has finished (confirmed by NCNED, October 2026), so it’s no longer recruiting. We’ll add the results when they’re published.
Long COVID Registry Aotearoa New Zealand
Long COVID Registry (Aotearoa New Zealand): a registry-based cohort study
The University of Auckland’s registry collects information from New Zealanders living with Long COVID about symptoms, quality of life, work, caring and costs. Everything is done online or by phone, and you don’t need a formal diagnosis.
Joining online needs a Google account to log in; if you can’t use the internet, phone 0800 532 150 to register by phone interview. Suits people who are too unwell to travel.
PVRANZ immune study: blood samples from people with Long COVID or ME/CFS (Auckland and Otago, NZ)
Immunity and Molecular studies of SARS-CoV-2 infection, post-viral conditions and COVID-19 vaccination
Researchers at the Universities of Auckland and Otago are studying the immune system in Long COVID and ME/CFS. You fill in a screening questionnaire and give a blood sample. Giving more samples later is optional.
The university’s page says the study is “currently recruiting”. It isn’t on a trial registry; it runs under ethics approval 2021 EXP 10976.
REVERSE-LC: baricitinib for Long COVID
A large NIH-funded trial of baricitinib, an anti-inflammatory drug (JAK inhibitor), mainly for Long COVID thinking and memory problems. Researchers note that EBV reactivation is linked to Long COVID fatigue.
Results expected 2027.
RECOVER-TLC: NIH Long COVID treatment trials
The US National Institutes of Health programme of Long COVID treatment trials. REVERSE-LC (above) is enrolling now. Three more are expected to open later in 2026: Brave-LC (low-dose naltrexone, ages 6–25), Tame-LC (semaglutide) and Block-LC (stellate ganglion block).
PIONEER: inebilizumab (B-cell depletion)
CD19 B-cell depletion with inebilizumab in PAIS-ME/CFS (Charité Berlin)
Tests inebilizumab, which removes antibody-producing B cells, in people with ME/CFS who improved after immunoadsorption (blood filtering) and then relapsed. It tests the idea that autoantibodies drive the illness in some patients.
Expected to start January 2027.
PAIS-AriSE: low-dose aripiprazole
The first placebo-controlled trial of low-dose aripiprazole (1 mg), after a Stanford clinic review suggested it helped fatigue, brain fog and sleep. For people with post-infectious syndromes, including post-COVID.
Planned to start in October 2026, but the registry still showed it as not yet recruiting in mid-October. ME/CFS isn’t a formal entry requirement.
IMPACT: immunoadsorption in autoantibody-positive ME/CFS
Follows people with post-infectious ME/CFS who test positive for certain autoantibodies and receive immunoadsorption (5 days of blood filtering to remove antibodies), an experimental procedure. Selecting patients by autoantibodies is the approach researchers now favour.
Please don’t contact the team to request a place: participants are selected from Charité’s own clinic patients. Immunoadsorption is funded by the German government, not health insurance. Charité’s upcoming trials (AIM-ME, PIONEER and TAME ME) are also only for patients already seen at its clinic. (The ClinicalTrials.gov record lists the study as recruiting, but only existing Charité patients are eligible.)
ACCESS: home-based care for housebound ME/CFS
Tests outreach care at home plus online visits for people with severe ME/CFS who can’t get to a clinic. It’s one of very few studies designed for housebound and bedbound patients.
MECFS-R: German ME/CFS registry
A multi-centre registry of ME/CFS at all ages, including children, recording symptoms, course and care.
The registry record was last updated January 2025.
REenergizeME: intermittent hypoxia-hyperoxia (IHHT)
Tests breathing alternating low- and high-oxygen air through a mask, a treatment designed to stimulate the cell’s energy factories. Includes blood and skin samples to study how it works.
The planned June 2026 start has passed, so check the current status with the team.
PEM: a starting point to investigate ME/CFS
Studies what happens in the body during post-exertional malaise, comparing people with ME/CFS and healthy controls.
Studies of PEM usually involve an exertion task. Ask the team what’s involved before agreeing.
HERITAGE: long-term follow-up of Long COVID and ME/CFS (UK)
Follows people with Long COVID and/or ME/CFS for 12 months to compare NHS specialist services, using questionnaires (app or paper). You don’t need to be a clinic patient to join.
Recruiting until December 2028.
Sequence ME & Long Covid
The follow-on to DecodeME: reading the full genomes of people with ME/CFS and Long COVID to find rare genetic variants. Current funding covers up to 6,000 DecodeME samples, with the aim of reaching 9,000 if more funding is found.
To hear when Long COVID expressions of interest open, check the Action for ME website or sign up to its newsletter. People outside the UK are unlikely to be eligible.
StudyME research registry (Open Medicine Foundation)
A free worldwide registry that matches people with ME/CFS, Long COVID and related illnesses (and healthy volunteers) to studies that are recruiting. More than 15,000 people in 85 countries have signed up.
A good way for people outside the US and Europe to hear about new studies.
LIFT: pyridostigmine + low-dose naltrexone
Life Improvement Trial
Tests pyridostigmine and LDN, alone and together, in people with ME/CFS who also have orthostatic intolerance. The idea is to treat both circulation and immune/inflammation drivers.
Recruiting until about September 2027; results expected after December 2027.
NIH brain imaging of pain and effort
A brain-scan study at the NIH Clinical Center looking at how the brain processes effort and unpleasant sensations in ME/CFS.
Includes effort tasks, so ask what’s involved.
CHIIME: chronic infections and inflammation in ME/CFS
Takes repeated samples over time to look for infection and inflammation drivers of ME/CFS, such as viral reactivation.
Low-dose naltrexone dose-finding (UAB)
Compares four LDN doses (1.5, 3, 4.5 and 6 mg) to find the best dose for ME/CFS. Run remotely by Dr Jarred Younger’s lab.
Planned start: November 2026 (registry, updated 8 October 2026).
Brain training for ME/CFS brain fog (University of Alabama at Birmingham, USA)
Brain Training for Chronic, Post-viral, Brain Fog: Study A (ME/CFS Brain Fog: Cognitive Rehabilitation Trial)
A small randomised trial comparing two brain-training programmes for ME/CFS brain fog. Both include vagus nerve stimulation through the ear, at higher or lower strength. Training totals about 30 hours over 2–4 weeks, mostly by Zoom, plus three visits to UAB for blood tests and brain scans.
Second contact: Helen Bliss, hmbliss@uab.edu, 205-934-0433. The company that makes the training software is a collaborator. About 30 hours of training in a few weeks is a big load if you have PEM.
Voice analysis to diagnose and track ME/CFS (Mayo Clinic)
Tests whether smartphone voice recordings can help diagnose and monitor ME/CFS. It’s done entirely through an app, with no travel.
Remote, but check whether non-US participants are accepted.
Fareon magnetic device for brain fog (Mount Sinai)
A pilot of a head-worn microtesla magnetic device used at home twice a week. An earlier randomised trial of the technology in Long COVID reported improved thinking and wellbeing.
Invite-only: there’s no open enrolment (confirmed by Mount Sinai, October 2026). Mount Sinai plans a larger trial of the device in early 2027. ME/CFS is mentioned but isn’t a formal entry requirement.
Lumbrokinase for Long COVID, post-Lyme and ME/CFS
A pilot trial of lumbrokinase, an enzyme supplement thought to break down micro-clots, in three separate groups, one of which is ME/CFS.
Hydrogen water for ME/CFS (Stony Brook)
A 16-week placebo-controlled trial of molecular hydrogen tablets dissolved in water, an antioxidant approach. Partly remote.
Stanford ME/CFS imaging & biomarker studies
Brain MRI, whole-body PET/MRI scans looking for inflammation (moderate to severe ME/CFS), and blood biomarker studies, from the team behind the 2026 muscle PET findings.
Details not yet confirmed against the official registry. Stanford’s page is undated. Confirm the study is still open before travelling.
Bateman Horne Center biobank
Collects saliva, blood and urine samples linked to clinical information, for ME/CFS, POTS and Long COVID research.
Recruitment has closed (confirmed by the Bateman Horne Center, October 2026). No date for results has been announced yet. BHC expects to start new research studies later in 2026. To hear about future BHC studies, fill in their research interest form (the ‘Study website’ link below).
Low-dose rapamycin study (Simmaron Research)
Tracks symptoms and cell clean-up (autophagy) markers in patients whose own doctor prescribes weekly low-dose rapamycin. Early results: 74% of 70 patients improved (no placebo group). A placebo-controlled follow-up is planned for mid-2027.
Enrolment is by invitation through participating clinicians. Email trials@simmaron.com to ask about adding your clinician.
Low-dose sirolimus (rapamycin) vs placebo for Long COVID with PEM (New York)
Low Dose Sirolimus in People With Post-Acute Sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC) Long COVID-19
A placebo-controlled trial of low-dose sirolimus (rapamycin), the drug in the Simmaron ME/CFS study. To join, you need Long COVID with at least moderate fatigue and at least moderate post-exertional malaise. People diagnosed with ME/CFS before 2020 can’t join.
Main results are due at the end of 2026, so recruitment may close soon. It’s for Long COVID, but its results will matter for ME/CFS because PEM is required to join. See low-dose rapamycin.
Blood-brain barrier study (Johns Hopkins)
Uses brain imaging, cognitive tests and blood immune markers to test whether a leaky blood-brain barrier drives cognitive problems. It compares ME/CFS that began before COVID with ME/CFS that began after.
Invitation only, with no public contact.
MILES: online mind-body programme (Alberta)
A randomised trial of the Dynamic Neural Retraining System (DNRS), an online “brain retraining” programme, in Long COVID and ME/CFS.
Brain-retraining programmes are controversial in the ME/CFS community. Listed for completeness; see What to avoid.
STAR-CO: stellate ganglion block for Long COVID
A single nerve-block injection in the neck vs a placebo injection, for Long COVID symptoms. People with a prior ME or fibromyalgia diagnosis are excluded.
Not suitable for people with ME/CFS. Listed because stellate ganglion block is a treatment many people ask about.
Hyperbaric oxygen for ME/CFS (Israel)
A sham-controlled trial of 60 hyperbaric oxygen sessions over 3 months. It follows Charité’s observation that benefit appeared only with more sessions.
Only suitable for Hebrew speakers who can attend in Israel.
Rituximab in ME/CFS (Japan)
An exploratory placebo-controlled crossover trial of rituximab, a B-cell-depleting drug. A large Norwegian trial of rituximab was negative, but interest remains in autoimmune subgroups.
The registry was last updated April 2025.
Lingzhi (reishi) for ME/CFS or post-COVID fatigue
A randomised trial of a lingzhi mushroom capsule compared with a waitlist.
Uses a broad definition of CFS that doesn’t require PEM.
RESETME: daratumumab (plasma-cell therapy)
Tests daratumumab, which removes antibody-producing plasma cells, in moderate to severe ME/CFS. In the pilot, 6 of 10 people responded, some dramatically, and 5 stayed well 2–3 years later.
Closed to new applicants. The hospital has long waiting lists and asks people not to send health information by email. Listed so you can follow the results.
STIMPACT: at-home ear vagus nerve stimulation
A fully remote crossover trial comparing two types of vagus nerve stimulation through the ear, each used for 4 weeks at home.
Recruitment has closed. Listed so you can follow the results.
No studies match those filters.
How to join
- Check the basics. Read the eligibility summary above, then the full criteria on the registry page. Many ME/CFS trials require a formal diagnosis (often the Canadian Consensus Criteria) and set age limits.
- Get in touch. Email or call the study contact. Say you're interested, where you live, your diagnosis and how long you've been unwell. You don't need a doctor's referral for most studies.
- Screening. The team will check whether you're eligible, usually by phone and questionnaire, and sometimes with blood tests.
- Consent. You'll be given a participant information sheet. Take your time, and ask questions. You can withdraw at any time.
Questions to ask the study team
- How many visits are there, and can any be done from home or by telehealth?
- How physically demanding are the visits? Can I lie down during them? Is there any exercise testing?
- What’s the chance I’ll get a placebo? Can I get the real treatment afterwards?
- Will I need to stop any of my current medications or supplements?
- Are travel costs covered? Is there payment?
- Will I get my own test results?
- Who do I contact if I crash or feel unwell during the trial?
Find more trials yourself
- Australia & New Zealand: ANZCTR, search “chronic fatigue” or “myalgic encephalomyelitis”
- Worldwide: ClinicalTrials.gov and the WHO trials search portal
- UK: ISRCTN registry and Be Part of Research
- Emerge Australia and NCNED (Griffith University) post Australian research opportunities