Official statement from WPI re UK study

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Official Statement from the Whittemore Institute Regarding UK Study

The Whittemore Institute (WPI) has reviewed the paper entitled

³Failure to Detect the

Novel Retrovirus XMRV in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.² This study did not

duplicate the

rigorous scientific techniques used by WPI, the National Cancer Institute

and the Cleveland

Clinic, therefore it cannot be considered a replication study nor can the

results claim to be

anything other than a failure not just to detect XMRV, but also a failure to

suggest meaningful

results.

The scientific methods used by WPI are very exact and require specific

techniques to ensure

accuracy. Differences in techniques employed by Erlwein et al. not only

explain their failure to

replicate the WPI study, but also render the conclusions meaningless. These

differences

include, but are not limited to the following:

1) blood sample volumes and processing;

2) patient criteria/population differences;

3) number and type of tests done to assure accurate results, including white

blood cell

culture;

4) use of a molecular plasmid control in water versus a positive blood

sample; and

5) different primer sequences and amplification protocol used to find the

virus, which

were not validated by a clinical control.

The WPI study was published after six months of rigorous review and three

independent lab

confirmations, proving that contamination had not taken place and that

infectious XMRV was

present in 67 percent of CFS patients diagnosed according to the Canadian

and Fukuda criteria.

In contrast, this latest study was published online after only three days of

review. Significant

and critical questions remain as to the status of patient samples used in

the UK study as those

samples may have been confused with fatigued psychiatric patients, since the

UK has relegated

³CFS² patients to psychiatric care and not traditional medical practices.

³Little is known about the prevalence of XMRV world-wide, much less the

incidence of XMRV

in ME/CFS or prostate cancer² emphasizes Dr. Judy Mikovits. ³WPI and its NCI

collaborators

are actively engaged with international research teams to investigate these

important questions.²

WPI does not recommend the use of anti-retroviral drugs that have yet to be

proven to be

effective in treating XMRV infection. However, several large pharmaceutical

companies have

expressed interest in developing anti-retroviral and immune modulating drugs

that will

effectively treat XMRV associated diseases.

WPI looks forward to the results of other scientific groups around the

world, serious about

replicating its scientific results, by using the same techniques as WPI and

its collaborators. The

fact that XMRV was detected in 67 percent of the CFS samples in the U.S.

study determined a

significant association between XMRV and CFS, demanding a much more serious

inquiry by

responsible health agencies around the world as to the cause of this

debilitating disease.

Whittemore Institute

The Whittemore Institute for Neuro-Immune Disease exists to bring

discovery, knowledge,

and effective treatments to patients with illnesses that are caused by

acquired dysregulation of the

immune system and the nervous system, often results in lifelong disease and

disability. The WPI is

the first institute in the world dedicated to X associated neuro-immune

disease (XAND), and other X

associated diseases, integrating patient treatment, basic and clinical

research and medical

Education.