A new artificial intelligence tool, BioMapAI, is giving researchers a clearer picture of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome, or ME/CFS, by mapping the hidden biology behind the pain, dizziness, and exhaustion of the condition.
The tool was developed by scientists at the Jackson Laboratory and Duke University School of Medicine and could lead to better diagnosis and treatment of a disease that has long been misunderstood, misdiagnosed, and, for many, dismissed.
Trained on four years of biological and clinical data from 249 people, BioMapAI can identify ME/CFS with 90% accuracy by analyzing stool, blood, and other routine lab tests, according to results published July 25 in Nature Medicine.
“We integrated clinical symptoms with cutting-edge omics technologies to identify new biomarkers of ME/CFS,” said senior study author Julia Oh, PhD, a Duke microbiologist and former Jackson Laboratory scientist.
“Linking symptoms at this level is crucial, because ME/CFS is highly variable. Patients experience a wide range of symptoms that differ in severity and duration, and current methods can’t fully capture that complexity,” she said.
Omics technologies offer a high-powered look inside the body, helping scientists map out DNA, track how genes are turned on, measure proteins, and study the tiny molecules that keep our cells running.
The technology drives BioMapAI to connect thousands of data points—from gut bacteria and immune cell profiles to patient-reported symptoms. It not only detects disease; it also helped create the first detailed map of how microbiome changes and immune activity may be linked with ME/CFS symptoms.
ME/CFS affects up to 10 million people worldwide. Persistent and profound fatigue, along with memory and other symptoms, can make everyday tasks difficult for patients. There is no cure, but symptoms can be treated or managed.
However, “some physicians still doubt it’s a real disease,” said study co-author Derya Unutmaz, MD, an immunologist and director of the JAX ME/CFS Collaborative Research Center. “That’s largely because we haven’t had reliable biomarkers. This study changes that.”
Mapping the Invisible
Working with co-authors Lucinda Bateman, MD, and Suzanne Vernon, MD, clinicians at the Bateman Horne Center, a leading ME/CFS, long COVID, and fibromyalgia research center in Salt Lake City, Utah, researchers made a striking finding: patients with ME/CFS had lower levels of butyrate, a beneficial fatty acid produced in the gut, and higher levels of tryptophan and benzoate, markers of microbial imbalance.
Their immune systems also showed heightened inflammation, particularly in MAIT cells, which link gut health to immune function.
“Our data indicate these biological disruptions become more entrenched over time,” said Unutmaz. “That doesn’t mean longer-duration ME/CFS can't be reversed, but it may be more challenging.”
While more research is needed to confirm the results, scientists say this study is a big step forward in understanding ME/CFS and provides direction for where to look next.
“The microbiome and metabolome are dynamic,” said Oh. “That means we may be able to intervene—through diet, lifestyle, or targeted therapies—in ways that genomic data alone can’t offer.”
Implications for Long COVID—and Beyond
The study’s implications extend beyond ME/CFS. Because long COVID shares many symptoms and biological features, researchers believe BioMapAI could help unravel that condition as well.
The team plans to make their dataset and AI tool publicly available, hoping to accelerate research and eventually guide personalized treatments.
“Our goal is to build a detailed map of how the immune system interacts with gut bacteria and the chemicals they produce,” Oh said. “By connecting these dots we can start to understand what’s driving the disease and pave the way for genuinely precise medicine that has long been out of reach.”
The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health.
Information from the Jackson Laboratory was used in this story.