Research into XMRV and chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS)
Posted by Cort Johnson Just fours days after the editors of Science took it upon themselves to retract the 2008 Science paper, Lo/Alter, the authors of the FDA study at one time championed as proof that a family of XMRV-like viruses was present in ME/CFS, have retracted their PNAS findings as well. In their conclusion to be published next week
ContinuePosted by Cort Johnson (My apologies! (Another CFS moment…) The last blog contained a draft on the first story – not the completed version. Thanks for your patience….) When it rains it pours. Events regarding XMRV, Dr. Mikovits and the WPI have come hot and heavy during the last week. WPI’s Civil Lawsuit Against Dr. Mikovits – First some background. Dr.
Continue
Posted by Cort Johnson In Part II of the XMRV section of the conference we look at the Coffin/Mikovits presentations, Hanson’s update on her XMRV work and look at the recent XMRV research findings. The pMLVs Strike Out – Hanson Disavows Former Results “The sensitivity of the PCR assays used requires extreme caution in interpreting results Dr. Maureen Hanson” Background
Continue
Posted by Cort Johnson Pt. IA: XMRV: the Big Test – the Blood Working Study (Taken From the Ottawa Conference/CFIDS Association Webinar) The Blood Working Group was a large group (25) made of federal officials from various agencies (CDC, NIH, FDA), the Red Cross, several laboratories including the WP, several Universities and put together just a month after the XMRV
ContinuePosted by Cort Johnson The Mikovits era at the WPI was turbulent one, filled with almost Shakespearean highs and lows. With the discovery of XMRV she helped bring a degree of excitement and attention to the chronic fatigue syndrome field it never seen before. It was and is an turbulent time, and perhaps fittingly her departure was a turbulent one
ContinuePosted by Cort Johnson Dr. Cheney was an enthusiastic supporter of the XMRV finding early on; he did a webcast on it and several blogs, suggested treatments and provided patients for the WPI to study. In this post from Jan Van Roijen on Co-cure Dr. Cheney reveals the latest on the Lipkin study from a conference call with Dr. Lipkin.
Continue
Posted by Cort Johnson The National Cancer Institute jumped in early on the XMRV discovery and has probably funded more research into the retrovirus than any other Institute but two weeks ago they were the first NIH Institute to definitively say that XMRV did not play a role in CFS or prostate cancer. Now the NIH’s update of their website
Continue
Posted by Cort Johnson Annette Whittemore on Nevada Newsmakers. Looking calm and composed Annette Whittemore stated that she had been prepared for negative studies in this field but not for a stream of negative studies using protocols that were different from those used in the Lombardi study. (This must have been difficult to watch but was probably inevitable as researchers
ContinuePosted by Cort Johnson WPI Response – Dr. Mikovits reponse to the request for retraction started off with a blast -at none other than the editor in chief of the most influential science journal in the world over what appeared to be a relatively minor issue – a day or so breach in a papers embargo – which she called
ContinuePosted by Cort Johnson One of the most stunning things about the Lombardi et. al XMRV paper on CFS was where it ended up – in Science – the most influential science journal in the world. The fact that the paper landed in such a prestigious journal seemed by itself to confer ‘rightness’; that even though it was a first
Continue
Posted by Cort Johnson In the year and a half since the WPI’s Science XMRV paper they have received no grants from the federal government to study XMRV, despite several attempts to procure funding. A Gulf War news site (91Outcomes.com) reported back in March that the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program (CDMRP) recommended funding 12 new studies, two of which were on XMRV
Continue
Posted by Cort Johnson WPI Response to the Singh Study The WPI’s first response to the negative XMRV CFS Singh paper didn’t take long to come out. (Apparently a longer response will appear in the Journal of Retrovirology). Hiding in Plain Sight? WPI Refutes Contamination Theory – Claims Distinct XMRV is Present – For over a year the WPI has
Continue