Posted by Cort Johnson Oct 13 Testimony to the CFSAC Whenever the CFS community asks for funding we always hear are that ‘money is tight’ – too tight to help out with CFS – as if doing so would somehow break the budget. The truth is there’s always money for the NIH to do what it wants to do. Every
ContinueCategory: Organizations
CDC at the Edit CFSAC Meeting: Dr. Unger’s Job Interview and More
Posted by Cort Johnson Dr. Unger’s ‘Job Interview’ by the CFSAC Committee The new CDC CFS chief should be announced fairly soon and Dr. Unger is one of the candidates to lead it. With that fact in mind the Committee at times asked her some fairly pointed questions. A Biological Basis – Really? Dr. Unger stated that ‘there has never
ContinueIACFS/ME President Urges CDC Writing Campaign
Posted by Cort Johnson Dr. Fred Friedberg, President of the IACFS/ME, requests that CFS/ME professionals and patient-oriented activists write letters to the CDC to Dr. Stephan Monroe with copies to Dr. Thomas Frieden regarding the selection of a new Chief of the Chronic Viral Diseases Branch at the CDC. See below for Dr. Friedberg’s request which is posted with his
ContinueFour Viruses! Alter Paper Confirms Retroviral Activity in CFS
Posted by Cort Johnson Kim McCleary stated that the Alter paper was the most anticipated research paper on ME/CFS ever and she was surely right. Demonstrating a remarkable online viral spread of its own Kim reported over 150 media outlets quickly jumped on the XMRV story. The story sent attendance at the Phoenix Rising Forums zooming, quickly breaking the record
ContinueCAA Talks with the Experts on XMRV
Posted by Cort Johnson The CFIDS Association started off what’s going to be an exciting week for XMRV with a CFIDLINKs devoted to asking the experts about XMRV. Fittingly enough Dr. Lo and Alter were first. After noting that both groups, the Alter/Lo and WPI/NCI/Cleveland Clinic groups had found a similar ‘strong association’ between murine Leukemia retroviruses (in one case
ContinueOpening the Door to a New Era: the WPI Arrives
Posted by Cort Johnson As the Whittemore-Peterson-Institute opens its door on what may be a new era of understanding and treating ME/CFS, it’s good to look at the circumstances that spawned the Institute. It was borne out of hope and possibility, for sure, both of which it has vastly exceeded but it was also borne out of trial. The new
ContinueBreakthroughs Happen: A Model For ME/CFS Success
Posted by Cort Johnson The New York Times lead article today “Sharing of Data Leads to Progress on Alzheimer’s”. described how a bold new type of research effort paid off big time in Alzheimer’s. All it took to succeed was for researchers to make a commitment to work together, share and collaborate…. nothing much really – just a commitment to
ContinueThe CFIDS Association XMRV Webinar with Dr. Racaniello and Dr. Bateman
Posted by Cort Johnson Dr. Racaniello and Dr. Bateman talked XMRV (mostly) at the CFID’S Association Webinar on Wednesday. DR. RACANIELLO gave us a bird’s eye of retroviruses. Right now there are two models for human infectious retroviruses; HIV, which replicates madly in immune cells and sends millions of virions into the blood to infect more cells and HTLV-1, which
ContinueConspiracy or Confusion?
Posted by Cort Johnson Hillary Johnson has just posted a long blog that provides alot of backup information on the controversies over the last couple of weeks. According to one of her resources the directors of the NIAID and the NIH as well as administrators at the CDC, were all involved in the withdrawal of the Alter paper. She reports
ContinueEvening Up the Odds – the SolveCFS BioBank Begins
Posted by Cort Johnson The odds have always been against the researchers with the guts or commitment to take ME/CFS on. With it’s unfortunate name, vague definition and complicated, multi-systemic nature it’s gotten little respect and even less funding. Everybody knows the statistics – last in the NIH in funding….$20 billion in economic losses and easily, easily the lowest dollar
ContinueXMRV UK CFS Study II: Dr. Vernon’s Analysis
Posted by Cort Johnson As expected Dr. Vernon, the Scientific Director of the CFIDS Association, delivered a rather comprehensive overview of the latest XMRV study in the Retrovirology journal. Dr. Vernon spent some time making clear who just who did this study; it was basically the best of UK retroviral researchers (one ‘world-renowned’) plus top ME/CFS UK researchers with long
Continue
A Look Back at Dr. Reeves CDC
Posted by Cort Johnson A look back at the Pro’s and Con’s of Dr. Reeves Tenure at the CDC THE PRO’s – despite the antagonism towards Dr. Reeves there were some pro’s to his program A commitment to research – whatever you want to say about Dr. Reeves he was a vigorous ME/CFS researcher. We can’t know what the internal
Continue