Prof Elisa Oltra is a Professor of Cell and Molecular Biology at the Universidad Católica de Valencia San Vicente Mártir, Valencia (Spain). The major goal of her research is to identify Molecular Biomarkers of Fibromyalgia and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) as a way to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying these diseases. With that purpose, she is focusing in post-transcriptional and epigenetic regulatory mechanisms affecting cells of the immune system.

MicroRNAs (miRs) represent attractive molecular biomarkers for the diagnosis of complex chronic diseases by their sensitivity to environmental changes and their resistance to degradation, when compared other RNA types. However, few studies have investigated miRNA profiles in the context of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS). Here we present genome-wide analysis of miRNA profiles from Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells (PBMCs) and plasma derived Extracellular Vesicles (EVs) by enzyme-free based Nanostring microarray technology). Results were compared to previous studies to determine the reproducibility of altered miRNA expression profiling and identify potential targets and pathways. We also applied filters corresponding to miRNAs formerly associated with preanalytical variables in an effort to detect and minimize potential technical-associated bias.