Make Visible: ME/CFS, Long Covid, POTS, EDS, Fibro & MCAS Explored13 Jun 2025

#16 Why are women more susceptible to complex illness? Predicting chronic conditions with Michal Caspi Tal PhD

This week’s episode takes us on an exploration of the exciting work coming out of M.I.T’s Biological Engineering teams into understanding infection-associated illnesses and the emerging field of menstruation science.

Emily Kate Stephens is joined by Dr Michal Caspi Tal, Principal Scientist of the Tal Research Group and Associate Scientific Director at the Center for Gynepathology Research. She is responsible for innovative research seeking answers about the the overlap between infection, immune dysregulation, and chronic illness; alongside working to break menstrual taboos, creating a scientific framework for understanding the implications of the female reproductive system on our health and our sickness

Her lab has launched MIT MAESTRO study, a groundbreaking research initiative using leading edge technology, aimed at uncovering the links between infection-associated illness, immune dysregulation and mitochondrial dysfunction, juxtaposing Long Covid against acute and Chronic Lyme. The team study the way in which pathogens interact with the immune system, genetics, and each other to create overlaps with POTS, MCAS, gynaecological conditions and connective tissue disorders such as hEDS.

The Tal Research Group is working to bridge engineering and biology to fill critical research gaps— particularly around chronic illnesses such as endometriosis, acute and chronic Lyme disease, Long Covid & ME/CFS. Their work is developing predictive diagnostics and illness trajectory maps to help us understand who is at risk of developing infection-associated chronic conditions, and why.

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