Kenny De Meirleir

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Professor Dr. Kenny L. de Meirleir is a Belgian Internal Medicine doctor who specializes in ME/CFS. He frequently partners with numerous myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) researchers in the EU, UK, US, and Australia to further the understanding of the pathophysiology of ME/CFS. He was an editor of the former Journal of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. He participated in an earlier clinical trial of Ampligen, an immunomodulator for ME/CFS.

Clinic location[edit | edit source]

Professor de Meirleir runs a clinic in Brussels, Hummunitas, and also at the Nevada Center for Biomedical Research in Reno, Nevada, in the United States.

Education[edit | edit source]

(As per bio page at Nevada Center for Biomedical Research)[1]

  • 1970 – 1977 Medical Education, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Doctor in Medicine (Belgium), Magna cum Laude
  • 1977 – 1982 Internal medicine Residency, Department of Internal Medicine, university Hospital Vrije Universiteit Brussel, under supervision of Prof. Dr. R. Six. Certification in Internal Medicine
  • 1982 – 1984 Resident in Cardiology, Algemeen Ziekenhuis, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, under supervision of Prof. Dr. P. Block, interrupted by military service
  • 1985 Ph.D. in Physiology

Awards[edit | edit source]

  • Solvay Prize
  • NATO Research Award

CCC and ICC[edit | edit source]

He is one of the authors of the 2011 case definition, International Consensus Criteria,[2] as well as, the 2003 Canadian Consensus Criteria for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, published as Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome:Clinical Working Case Definition,Diagnostic and Treatment Protocols[3]

Pediatric Case Definition[edit | edit source]

  • 2006, "A Pediatric Case Definition for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome"

    "Summary: For a diagnosis of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), most researchers use criteria that were developed by Fukuda et al. (1994), with modifications suggested by Reeves et al. (2003). However, this case definition was established for adults rather than children. A Canadian Case Definition (ME/CFS; Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/CFS) has recently been developed, with more specific inclusion criteria (Carruthers et al., 2003). Again, the primary aim of this case definition is to diagnose adult CFS. A significant problem in the literature is the lack of both a pediatric definition of ME/CFS and a reliable instrument to assess it. These deficiencies can lead to criterion variance problems resulting in studies labeling children with a wide variety of symptoms as having ME/CFS. Subsequently, comparisons between articles become more difficult, decreasing the possibility of conducting a meta-analysis. This article presents recommendations developed by the International Association of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Pediatric Case Definition Working group for a ME/CFS pediatric case definition. It is hoped that this pediatric case definition will lead to more appropriate identification of children and adolescents with ME/CFS."[4]

Books[edit | edit source]

Notable studies[edit | edit source]

  • 2016, Humoral Immunity Profiling of Subjects with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis Using a Random Peptide Microarray Differentiates Cases from Controls with High Specificity and Sensitivity (FULL TEXT)

    Abstract - "Myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) is a complex, heterogeneous illness of unknown etiology. The search for biomarkers that can delineate cases from controls is one of the most active areas of ME research; however, little progress has been made in achieving this goal. In contrast to identifying biomarkers that are directly involved in the pathological process, an immunosignature identifies antibodies raised to proteins expressed during, and potentially involved in, the pathological process. Although these proteins might be unknown, it is possible to detect antibodies that react to these proteins using random peptide arrays. In the present study, we probe a custom 125,000 random 12-mer peptide microarray with sera from 21 ME cases and 21 controls from the USA and Europe and used these data to develop a diagnostic signature. We further used these peptide sequences to potentially uncover the naturally occurring candidate antigens to which these antibodies may specifically react with in vivo. Our analysis revealed a subset of 25 peptides that distinguished cases and controls with high specificity and sensitivity. Additionally, Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST) searches suggest that these peptides primarily represent human self-antigens and endogenous retroviral sequences and, to a minor extent, viral and bacterial pathogens."[5]

2016, Genome-wide association analysis identifies genetic variations in subjects with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (FULL TEXT)

Abstract - "Myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome or ME/CFS, is a multifactorial and debilitating disease that has an impact on over 4 million people in the United States alone. The pathogenesis of ME/CFS remains largely unknown; however, a genetic predisposition has been suggested. In the present study, we used a DNA single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) chip representing over 906,600 known SNPs to analyze DNA from ME/CFS subjects and healthy controls. To the best of our knowledge, this study represents the most comprehensive genome-wide association study (GWAS) of an ME/CFS cohort conducted to date. Here 442 SNPs were identified as candidates for association with ME/CFS (adjusted P-value<0.05). Whereas the majority of these SNPs are represented in non-coding regions of the genome, 12 SNPs were identified in the coding region of their respective gene. Among these, two candidate SNPs resulted in missense substitutions, one in a pattern recognition receptor and the other in an uncharacterized coiled-coil domain-containing protein. We also identified five SNPs that cluster in the non-coding regions of T-cell receptor loci. Further examination of these polymorphisms may help identify contributing factors to the pathophysiology of ME/CFS, as well as categorize potential targets for medical intervention strategies.[6]

  • 2013, Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cells in the Duodenum of Individuals Diagnosed with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis Are Uniquely Immunoreactive to Antibodies to Human Endogenous Retroviral Proteins[7]
  • 2009, Detection of Herpesviruses and Parvovirus B19 in Gastric and Intestinal Mucosa of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Patients

    Abstract: "Background: Human herpesvirus-6 (HHV-6), Epstein-Barr virus and parvovirus B19 have been suggested as etiological agents of chronic fatigue syndrome but none of these viruses is consistently detected in all patients. However, active viral infections may be localized in specific tissues, and, therefore, are not easily detectable. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of HHV-6, HHV-7, EBV and parvovirus B19 in the gastro-intestinal tract of CFS patients. Patients and Methods: Using real-time PCR, viral DNA loads were quantified in gastro-intestinal biopsies of 48 CFS patients and 35 controls. Results: High loads of HHV-7 DNA were detected in most CFS and control biopsies. EBV and HHV-6 were detected in 15-30% of all biopsies. Parvovirus B19 DNA was detected in 40% of the patients versus less than 15% of the controls. Conclusion: Parvovirus B19 may be involved in the pathogenesis of CFS, at least for a subset of patients. The gastro-intestinal tract appears as an important reservoir of infection for several potentially pathogenic viruses."[8]

  • 2009, Increased D-Lactic Acid Intestinal Bacteria in Patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome[9]
  • 2004, The Fennell Phase Inventory in a Belgian Sample

    "Abstract: The present study is a follow-up of the research conducted by Jason, Fennell et al. (1995, 1999, 2000) on a multistage theory for chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). This multistage model is a very promising method for the evaluation of patients suffering from CFS and could facilitate the appropriate selection of various psychosocial therapies that improve the patient’s ability to cope with their illness. Four predictive factors emerged with moderate to excellent reliability. A Spearman’s rank correlation revealed positive correlations between our four-factor model and the three-factor model identified by Jason et al.(1999). A correlation matrix between the dimensional psychological investigation and the Fennell Phases revealed characteristics as suggested by previous research. Biological parameters varied over the different phases suggesting an important interaction between body and psyche."[10]

  • 2001, A definition-based analysis of symptoms in a large cohort of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.[11]

Talks & interviews[edit | edit source]

Wetenschap voor Patiënten - ME/cvs Vereniging[edit | edit source]

Invest in ME Conference Speeches[edit | edit source]

  • 2011, Speaker at the 6th Invest in ME International ME Conference on Clinical Diagnosis, Treatments and Trials of ME/CFS[12] DVD available
  • 2009, Speaker at the 4th Invest in ME International ME Conference on Research on Extremely Debilitated M.E. Patients Reveals the True Nature of the Disorder[13] DVD available
  • 2007, Speaker at the 2nd Invest in ME International ME Conference on Treatments for ME/CFS Integrative & Complimentary Medicine[14] DVD available

ME/CFS Alert[edit | edit source]

IAMECFS Conference[edit | edit source]

Other[edit | edit source]

Online presence[edit | edit source]

Learn more[edit | edit source]

See also[edit | edit source]

Nevada Center for Biomedical Research

References[edit | edit source]

  1. http://nvcbr.org/meet-the-team/?team_member=kennydemeirleir#tab-2fc81613def7f57b934
  2. Carruthers, BM; van de Sande, MI; De Meirleir, KL; Klimas, NG; Broderick, G; Mitchell, T; Staines, D; Powles, A C P; Speight, N; Vallings, R; Bateman, L; Baumgarten-Austrheim, B; Bell, DS; Carlo-Stella, N; Chia, J; Darragh, A; Jo, D; Lewis, D; Light, A; Marshall-Gradisnik, S; Mena, I; Mikovits, JA; Miwa, K; Murovska, M; Pall, ML; Stevens, S (2011), "Myalgic encephalomyelitis: International Consensus Criteria.", Journal of Internal Medicine, 270 (4): 327-38, doi:10.1111/j.1365-2796.2011.02428.x, PMID 21777306
  3. http://phoenixrising.me/wp-content/uploads/Canadian-definition.pdf
  4. Jason, Leonard A; Jordan, Karen; Miike, Teruhisa; Bell, David S; Lapp, Charles; Torres-Harding, Susan; Rowe, Kathy; Gurwitt, Alan; De Meirleir, Kenny; Van Hoof, Elke LS (2006), "A Pediatric Case Definition for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome", Journal of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, 13 (2–3): 1-44, doi:10.1300/J092v13n02_01
  5. Singh, Sahajpreet; Stafford, Phillip; Schlauch, Karen A.; Tillett, Richard R.; Gollery, Martin; Johnston, Stephen Albert; Khaiboullina, Svetlana F.; De Meirleir, Kenny L.; Rawat, Shanti; Mijatovic, Tatjana; Subramanian, Krishnamurthy; Palotás, András; Lombardi, Vincent C. (2016), "Humoral Immunity Profiling of Subjects with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis Using a Random Peptide Microarray Differentiates Cases from Controls with High Specificity and Sensitivity", Molecular Neurobiology, doi:10.1007/s12035-016-0334-0
  6. Schlauch, Karen A.; Khaiboullina, Svetlana F.; De Meirleir, Kenny L.; Rawat, Shanti; Petereit, J; Rizvanov, Albert A; Blatt, Nataliya; Mijatovic, Tatjana; Kulick, D; Palotás, András; Lombardi, Vincent C. (2016), "Genome-wide association analysis identifies genetic variations in subjects with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome", Translational Psychiatry, 6 (2): e730, doi:10.1038/tp.2015.208
  7. De Meirleir, KL; Khaiboullina, SF; Frémont, M; Hulstaert, J; Rizvanov, AA; Palotás, A; Lombardi, VC (2013), "Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cells in the Duodenum of Individuals Diagnosed with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis Are Uniquely Immunoreactive to Antibodies to Human Endogenous Retroviral Proteins", In Vivo, 27 (2): 177–187, PMID 23422476
  8. Frémont, Marc; Metzger, Kristine; Rady, Hamada; Hulstaert, Jan; De Meirleir, Kenny (2009), "Detection of Herpesviruses and Parvovirus B19 in Gastric and Intestinal Mucosa of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Patients", In Vivo, 23 (2): 209-213
  9. Sheedy, John R.; Wettenhall, Richard E.H.; Scanlon, Denis; Gooley, Paul R.; Lewis, Donald P.; McGregor, Neil; Stapleton, David; Butt, Henry L.; De Meirleir, Kenny L. (2009), "Increased D-Lactic Acid Intestinal Bacteria in Patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome", In Vivo, 23 (4): 621-628, PMID 19567398
  10. Van Hoof, Elke; Coomans, Danny; Cluydts, Raymond; De Meirleir, Kenny (2004), "The Fennell Phase Inventory in a Belgian Sample", Journal of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, 12 (1): 53-69, doi:10.1300/J092v12n01_04
  11. De Becker, P; McGregor, N; De Meirleir, K (September 2001), "A definition-based analysis of symptoms in a large cohort of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.", Journal of Internal Medicine, 250 (3): 234-240, PMID 11555128
  12. http://www.investinme.eu/IIMEC6.shtml#agenda
  13. http://www.investinme.eu/IIMEC4.shtml#agenda
  14. http://www.investinme.eu/IIMEC2.shtml#agenda