XMRV & AMPLIGEN, Hunter-Hopkins ME-letter March 2011

[JohnnyD]

http://www.drlapp.net/meLetterMar2011.htm

Gene Sequencing in Persons with CFS
Wendy Fallick, our research coordinator, and I have just returned from the 9th Investigators Meeting sponsored by Hemispherx Biopharma, makers of Ampligen and Alferon. This was perhaps the most exciting of these meetings that I have attended, and I suspect that information relayed this past week to us will change the field of medicine forever. I want to share that information with you.

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Now, here is the most intriguing part of our Hemispherx meeting. It took hundreds of scientists at multiple sites ten years to map out the 3 billion nucleotides in the normal human genome. Dr. Carter introduced us to Howard Urnovitz, CEO of Chronix Biomedical. Urnovitz revealed that his research group is able to map genomes at a very rapid pace. He expects that in the near future, Chronix will be able to map your entire genome in under six hours and for probably less than a $100 fee. This is StarTrek medicine!

Urnovitz went on to explain that when apoptosis occurs, chimeras are spilled into the blood stream and can be extracted easily by his laboratory. When his lab examined the genomes of persons with CFS they found chimeras made up of XMRV genes (but oddly missing their LTR regions).

 

[LaurelW]

This could explain a lot. Thanks for posting it.

 

[pamb]

Very interesting news indeed. disclaimer: I am NOT on of the scientific people on the board so my thoughts are just ill informed musings.

It is hard to figure out why hemispherex are not investing more in getting to the larger studies quicker. I have read they do have capital but perhaps that is not true? At least not to the extent needed?

Or perhaps they are being a bit cautious because, if XMRV or some other virus/retrovirus is proved causal, then if there is a 'cure' perhaps there will not be so much interest in something that is just a treatment? beats me. Nevertheless this is very interesting news. I love the finding of XMRV genes in PWC's.

 

[JohnnyD]

It is hard to figure out why hemispherex are not investing more in getting to the larger studies quicker. I have read they do have capital but perhaps that is not true? At least not to the extent needed?

My guess is that they are waiting for the xmrv controversy to resolve. Tough to convince one federal agency to approve treatment for a retrovirus that another federal agency doesn't think exists.

 

[BEG]

Thanks for posting this JohnnyD. Like Pam, I'm not a scientific person either. Just a few general comments here. I was a patient of Dr. L's for many years. It's nice to see him foray into the XMRV realm and some science rather than his usual push for mind games, stress, and rest and rust philosophy, which makes the patient feel the disease is all his/her fault. Well, I didn't mean to rant on Dr. Lapp.

I'm just so impressed with this article which is close to understandable for the layperson even. Excellent. BTW, every time I hear that ampligen is very well tolerated, I cringe. I had an absurdly hard time with ampligen and within a few weeks had to drop out of the trial. Furthermore, when I explained at last October's CFSAC meeting to the two women representing Bio Hemispherex that I was allergic, they said, "We hear that a lot." (huh?)

 

[FunkOdyssey]

So patients are sicker if they are XMRV+, and more likely to respond to Ampligen if they are XMRV+.

Impressive correlations for a lab contaminant huh? Can we get an LOL at the doubters' expense?

 

[Jim]

FWIW, I was positive for XMRV but Ampligen did not help.

 

[FunkOdyssey]

Lapp was wrong

 

[FunkOdyssey]

FWIW, I was positive for XMRV but Ampligen did not help.

Yeah ampligen is not THE answer for treatment or anything. Even if you were XMRV+, only 44.7% improved... the significance is that XMRV status strongly/significantly influenced the response rate. That says many things at once: that XMRV is not simply a lab contaminant, that VIPdx's serology test is the real deal, etc

 

[justy]

Lapp was wrong

I'M sorry FunkOdyssey, i did follow the link and read the posts, but i didnt understand it. Could you explain what this is all about please. It sounds like good news, but i dont understnad what you are getting at.

 

[FunkOdyssey]

I believe this is the part of the letter that Gerwyn's referring to:

Urnovitz went on to explain that when apoptosis occurs, chimeras are spilled into the blood stream and can be extracted easily by his laboratory. When his lab examined the genomes of persons with CFS they found chimeras made up of XMRV genes (but oddly missing their LTR regions). .

The LTR's actually were present.

 

[justy]

How do we know the "LTR's actually were present" Your response seems very smoke and mirrors. As i said before could you explian fully. I dont even know who Gerwyn is so it doesnt help, im just a regular forum member trying to make some sense of this. Are you saying this article is not correct?

 

[FunkOdyssey]

How do we know the "LTR's actually were present" Your response seems very smoke and mirrors. As i said before could you explian fully. I dont even know who Gerwyn is so it doesnt help, im just a regular forum member trying to make some sense of this. Are you saying this article is not correct?

Everything related to this, all evidence regarding the fact that the LTR's were present (long terminal repeats, these are sequences of DNA required for the virus to be fully operational) has been taken down in anticipation of the data being published. I heard it should be published before June 1st.

But yes, that aspect of the article seems to be incorrect.

 

[subtr4ct]

Everything related to this, all evidence regarding the fact that the LTR's were present (long terminal repeats, these are sequences of DNA required for the virus to be fully operational) has been taken down in anticipation of the data being published. I heard it should be published before June 1st.

But yes, that aspect of the article seems to be incorrect.

If that info was taken down for those reasons elsewhere, perhaps this forum should provide the same courtesy to the researchers.

 

[justy]

If that info was taken down for those reasons elsewhere, perhaps this forum should provide the same courtesy to the researchers.

There is another much longer thread on this topic which doesnt mention this. should they be merged? Sorry i cant link to it -still havent worked out how to do it.

 

[Bob]

The other thread is here:
http://forums.aboutmecfs.org/showth...ing-Genome-Detection-Technology-Ampligen-News