Akureyri Hospital
The Akureyri Clinic, in collaboration with Landspítali – The National University Hospital of Iceland, is participating in a major European research project on ME.
2nd July 2026
The Akureyri Clinic, in collaboration with Landspítali – The National University Hospital of Iceland, is one of the participants in a new international research project on myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) that has received funding from the European Union's Horizon Europe research and innovation programme. The project marks an important milestone in European collaboration on life sciences research into ME, bringing together researchers, healthcare professionals, and patient representatives from more than twenty research institutions across Europe and Canada.
ME is a severe and chronic disease that can have a profoundly disabling impact on daily life. At present, diagnosis is based solely on clinical assessment, which often means that it can take a long time for patients to receive the correct diagnosis. This can have a significant impact on the quality of life of people living with ME.
The aim of the project is to increase understanding of the biological causes of ME, develop reliable biomarkers to support diagnosis, and lay the foundation for more targeted treatments in the future. Using harmonised research methods and extensive datasets, the project will seek to identify patient subgroups and gain a better understanding of the biological mechanisms underlying the disease.
The project is led on behalf of Landspítali – The National University Hospital of Iceland by Sigurveig Þ. Sigurðardóttir, a specialist in allergy and clinical immunology, in collaboration with Friðbjörn Sigurðsson of the Akureyri Clinic. The goal is to recruit 120 people with ME and 30 healthy individuals in Iceland to participate in the study.
As part of the project, researchers will identify and validate biomarkers related to genetics, the immune system, metabolism, endocrine function, and the vascular system. The findings are expected to provide the foundation for future research into more targeted treatments, including clinical drug trials.
A strong emphasis is placed on the active involvement of patients and patient advocacy organisations throughout the project. The lived experience of people with ME will help inform the development of research methods, the classification of patient subgroups, and the formulation of recommendations that can benefit both healthcare systems and future health policy.
The project is funded by Horizon Europe, the European Union's research and innovation programme. Receiving this grant is considered a major milestone for ME research, as the project was selected through a highly competitive international peer-review process, underscoring the importance of this field of research within the European scientific community.