New XMRV study to be undertaken.

Hi Bob

In my own naive way I thought this approach might give GSK the toolkit to hit retroviruses at source.

My understanding, which is probably wrong, is that retoviruses are RNA and need to 'write themselves' into cellular DNA to replicate. I also assumed that antiretroviral drugs prevent or slow replication but you are stuck with the retroviral infection for life.

Directly interfering with the RNA could kill XMRV off?

In theory?

Like this :

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6WXR-4CHRYD6-2&_user=10&_coverDate=07%2F20%2F2004&_rdoc=1&_fmt=high&_orig=search&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_searchStrId=1278656559&_rerunOrigin=google&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=032bdcbbe337a743b0f3fdd9dbd33af4

Hi Marco, I apologise, I didn't mean to sound so dismissive...
I'm no expert, so I'm sure you know more about this science than me...

This is a fascinating area of medicine that I've not really come across before...
I hadn't read that this is an area of genetic medicine that they were currently developing...

I'd heard about genetic manipulation by inserting new genes into our genetic code... but I'd not heard about the possibility of directly blocking certain strands of human RNA by using drugs, which seems more promising in the short term... i don't know why I've never heard of it... thanks for flagging it.

Retro-viruses are RNA viruses, and if a drug could block essential segments of the RNA of a retro-virus, then I imagine that the viruses would eventually die, as they wouldn't be able to function... and they wouldn't be able to replicate. It would be a novel and exciting way to treat retro-viruses.

It's really fascinating... and exciting to think that they might be thinking about developing this technology for retro-viruses... but surely they'd develop it for HIV before XMRV wouldn't they?

Yes, that was my understanding about Kerr's work too... That there are quite a number of different genes affected in people with ME... is it about 88 or have I just plucked that figure out of the air?
Kerr has said that he has been looking for existing approved drugs that are known to be associated with the genes which he has identified in his studies.
But I think that he has found his research less helpful, or less certain, than he first expected, because instead of looking for appropriate drugs, I understand that he has now moved on with his studies and is looking at DNA 'snips' in order to gain more clarity... and I just don't understand these 'snips' at all... I don't understand his latest research or what it's aiming to achieve. (At least, i think it's called 'snips' - I'm going from memory here - which is never reliable for me!)

lol Marco

:Sign Good Job: *interestingly....the prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis in the general population i believe is roughly about 4%...a familiar percentage ? (ie same as those found in the Science article to be XMRV+ve in the healthy controls) although maybe/probably just a coincidence

Could anyone please tell me if the indirect CD8 cell dysregulation (as described above) still fits in well with the pattern of changes in the balance between IL(interleukin)10 and IL12 levels seen by Dr Cheney in ME patients & described in the following article? Would be good to think everything seems to fit together in some way but im definitely lacking in the knowledge department to be able to make a call on that

Everyone is right, no drug company in their right mind will miss this chance to make tons of money. I can only see two immediate problems, one being studies will have to be done before doctors will feel comfortable in prescribing drugs and secondly, whatever drug or drug combinations they develop will be very expensive. They will want to make as much money as possible in the first seven years. But on the bright side, patients in the long run will benefit from these medicines!

And also how it fits with this from Cort's write up of the Dr Light presentation.

"Interestingly, given all the interest in pro-inflammatory cytokine levels, neither of the two cytokines tested (IL-6, IL-10) exhibited increased activity in the ME/CFS patients. The activity of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10, which appears to be showing up again and again in ME/CFS studies, was increased."

http://www.ei-resource.org/columns/...tes-increases-after-moderate-exercise-in-cfs/

I finally found my source: www.vactruth.com. There's SO much info on that website....TMI! The age of information. Too much to read, wish I could just download it into my head, instead of having to sit at the computer and read, and focus. Im not lasting long today. Was trying to read natasha's posting from Dec about Mice being used in vaccine production...that did me in!

Anyway, just wanted to get back on that. There's SO much info on vaccines and illness, like our newcomer mom whose daughter got sick after the Gardisil vaccine.

A friend of mine, was a nurse, struggling with fibro, and her boss insisted she get the H1N1. So she finally did...took her out...she got Sjorgens syndrome, had to quit work, and now is up against how to take of yourself when you are too sick to get off the couch. I and she believe that Swine flu vaccine pushed her over the edge.

I wont touch a vaccine. I wouldnt be a bit surprised that contaminated vaccines is how we all got these illnesses. Actually I do believe it. Science creating the Frankenstein all over again. Do you all know that a few years back they made a flourescent rabbit??? By adding in genes from one species into another, they create new things. Like taking DNA from cold water eels, inject into tomatoes, so they withstand frost. Now we're talking Genetically Modified foods.....but it's all bad in my opinion.

Precisely what I believe happened to me since I became ill immediately following Hep B vaccine and had no other obvious acute triggers, such as infection. I believe it was latent xmrv that was activated by the vaccine. But I also believe vaccine to be more than just a trigger in this neuroimmune epidemic; I believe we shall soon see it to be a much bigger player than that. But I don't believe contaminated vaccine damage control to be GSK's motivation for this study. It's all about the bottom line.....there is potentially truckloads more money involved in an infectious rather than psych cause of ME/CFS, FM, Autism, MS, GWS.......Not to mention that most of us can't tolerate anti depressants and other psych meds anyhow. I think GSK being on board is deserving of celebration. This is what we have been waiting for.....big money/power on our side.

I was entered into this study I believe as one of the positive controls. I am happy to contribute in any way possible to our community, but I also believe it will lead to clinical trial with drugs. GSK = drugs. Also, the ultimate "validation" study will be responsiveness to anti retrovirals, so I am hoping to participate in that capacity as well. Best of all everyone....we are months, not years away from the answers! Cartwheels indeed!!!!

Great update cloud! Hopefully we'll be well enough in the near future to actually do cartwheels.

Cloud, it would be fantastic if you would be able to update us when you have some information regarding this study (where it stands, when its supposed to be finished an published, what are the results, what they asked you to do, what did people there tell you etc.). I mean, I guess most of these things would be impossible for you to know - but if you do know something that might be even somewhat interesting - please, inform us, if you can.

And good luck to you and to us as well.

jimbob....I was thinking we got to have a huge celebration when we get to the finish line. We are a community of people scattered all over the planet, but maybe there will be a way to get together in centralized groups celebrating! I couldn't do a cartwheel before becoming ill, but I sure will try now!

Omerbasket.....So far, I've just been plugged in and waiting for instruction...but you bet I will share everything. I'm expecting to see several of us on here talking about this study and hopefully it's evolution into clinical trial real soon. Lets keep this thread going!

Do you know when will the blood draws start?

I definately don't want to lose touch with everyone once we turn the corner. hopefully we can keep this site or start another one to talk about all the good things happening?!

Hi Cloud, That's interesting... One of my possible triggers was Hep B vaccinations... I was working in a hopital, and I had to have Hep B vaccinations to work there... They kept on checking my Hep B antibody levels and they were not high enough, so I had 3 Hep B vaccinations in total in order to raise the antibody levels... There were other possible factors for me as well... such as working in a hospital... but the Hep B vaccines do seem like quite a significant factor... especially as I had three of them.

Hi Bob, im wondering if you have seen this month's poll on the ME Association's website. Its specifically about whether people feel their ME was triggered by vaccination, and if so, which one. Out of 444 replies to date, Hep B has received approx 60% of the votes - its way way out in front.

http://www.meassociation.org.uk/ind...-by-a-vaccination-which-vaccine-was-involved

Hi Bob,

that's interesting, because I know that a German researcher, F.Meyer, started a company, '3d antisensetec', claiming to have an HIV vaccine ready in 7 years, if he get's the money together(20 mio Euro's). He claims not only eradicating HIV, but all kinds of viruses through antisensing.

Grtz,
OS.