Square One: WPI closed down; XRx blog, 10/2/11

[ixchelkali]

That's the best idea I've heard all week! :sleepy: (Especially as I've got my first cold of the autumn, and it's a horrible one!)

Sending virtual chicken soup. I hope that means your immune system is functioning better (that's what I've told myself on the very rare occasions I've had a cold since I got ME/CFS).

 

[Nielk]

Announcement from WPI FB page:

The Whittemore Peterson Institute is announcing the departure of Dr. Judy Mikovits from WPI. We wish to thank her for her previous work and commitment. The WPI remains committed to a comprehensive research program. Our research team and program remains active, and our lab open to authorized employees. We will continue the critical work of finding answers to M.E. and related diseases.

We will use the opportunity created by the departure of Dr. Mikovits to do a full evaluation of our research lab and current research projects. WPI is dedicated to the highest standards in research and patient care, and to advocating for the patients, families and caregivers we exist to serve.

--
Michael Hillerby
Whittemore Peterson Institute
University of Nevada, Reno MS 0552
1664 N. Virginia St.
Reno, NV 89557-0552
(775) 682-8250

 

[Andrew]

I think the key phrase might be "authorized employees." Maybe it was not closed down all the way, but only to certain people, and research put on hold until they can figure out who will do what.

 

[Enid]

Thanks for the latest info Nielk - that full evaluation of lab and current research projects created by the departure of Dr Mikovits does sound like some differences of the emphases perhaps.

 

[Firestormm]

'Whittemore told the Health Blog that she and Mikovits were not seeing eye-to-eye on who controlled the cells. Research on retroviruses and their possible connection to CFS as well as other diseases continues, she said. We will keep going down that path as long as it continues to show promise, Whittemore says.'

Addendum to Wall Street Journal Article posted elsewhere. Note the reference to retroviruses. Questions, questions, questions...

 

[moonchild]

we have a good idea that tenofovir works, from deckoff-jones and dr. snyderman....and azt too. so that leaves us with 2 drugs to take, along with treating co-infections. as i said before, my NK cell function rose from 2 to 60 on ARV's. that has to mean something.

realistically, it will be 3 to 5 years before we have any more good news. very very scary for those who are at end stage.

dr. mikovits said last week she is 2 weeks from sequencing the other HGRV's.....what will become of these sequences? who will test drugs against them?

VIP Dx said they will have HGRV testing in 2 years...is this no longer the case?

Daffodil, one of my first thoughts was about the sequencing. Just two days before I had read the quote from Dr. Mikovits and had such renewed hope that we were on the cusp of a big development...the timing of this just seems too cruel. And yet, reading Dr. Deckoff - Jones's blog, it seems that she must have known about the situation with the WPI at the time of the Ottawa conference and when she made that statement (which only makes me admire her more than ever).

 

[Enid]

On the cusp of a big development - just hope she can continue her valuable work in some other place whatever happened at the WPI.

 

[Andrew]

we have a good idea that tenofovir works, from deckoff-jones and dr. snyderman....and azt too. so that leaves us with 2 drugs to take

What about Isentress (raltegravir)?