On Oct. 8, 2025, scientists at the University of East Anglia and Oxford Biodynamics announced they have developed a high accuracy blood test to diagnose Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, also known as Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME/CFS). The debilitating long-term illness affects millions worldwide – including over 400,000 sufferers in the UK – but is poorly understood and has long lacked reliable diagnostic tools.

The team used advanced EpiSwitch® 3D Genomics technology from Oxford BioDynamics (AIM:OBD) to see how DNA is folded in blood samples from 47 patients with severe ME/CFS and 61 healthy controls.

This approach using EpiSwitch has previously shown success in identifying disease-specific blood markers in highly complex inflammatory and neurological conditions such as fast ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), rheumatoid arthritis, and certain cancers. This includes the EpiSwitch PSE test, which is a blood test with world-leading accuracy for prostate cancer already used in the UK and US.

The analysis showed remarkable accuracy – with 92 per cent sensitivity in identifying ME/CFS, which indicates how well the test identifies those who have the disease (a show of true positives) and 98 per cent specificity, which indicates how well it identifies those who do not have the disease.

By examining 3D genomic folds, UEA and Oxford BioDynamics revealed hundreds of additional changes, including five of the eight sites identified by DecodeME, which can now provide a deeper understanding of the disease. Using a different approach, this work looked beyond the linear DNA sequence investigated by a previously published DecodeME study.