I'm also trying to remember.
Weren't the cells kept in separate storage and some of the cells were spiked? There was also something about an open cooler which contained cells. I can't remember if the study was truely doubleblind.
I will have to check the accuracy of the above. In some ways, it seems so long ago.
I think the study by Lipkin gave us the definitive answer.
I am puzzled that some are stuck on this theory but maybe I have missed something.
Barb
Ok, Barb, I'll bite,
Mikovits and Ruscetti failed to replicate their xmrv findings in their own blinded patient cohort during the Blood Working Group and failed to explain how plasmids magically got into patient samples, or why they lied about epigenetic modifiers.
http://scienceblogs.com/erv/2014/03/21/xmrv-the-rats-are-trying-to-climb-out-of-the-sewer/
http://scienceblogs.com/erv/2011/09/30/xmrv-and-chronic-fatigue-syndr-29/
http://scienceblogs.com/erv/2014/03...ome-researcher-fired-amidst-new- controversy
The conspiracy theorists should explain why Mikovits solicits the opinion of Gerwyn Morris, a former patient on PR, who claims during that time period to hold only a graduate degree in psychology unless he is posting comments on various websites, then his degree status, however changes. It fails to amaze me, that someone who does not even hold a doctorate in any field related to the sciences and scientific research, suddenly becomes the world's leading authority on retrovirology research within a matter of a couple of years. Someone who claimed to suffer from severe neurocognitive dysfunction affecting his writing and his ability to speak ( his own words) could disseminate, investigate, analyze and lecture on molecular biology, retrovirology, pathology, virology, cell biology and testing and research methodology without gracing the inside of any reasearch lab or conducting one research project concerning retroviruses while taking to task every world renown retrovirologists on their methodolgy. That is the conspiracy that should be looked into. Last time I checked, graduate degrees in psychology do not require a science backgound or coursework.
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Researcher Fired Amidst New Controversy
As to the statement of how Mikovits magically transformed Xenotropic murine leukemia viruses, WPI slide, into gammaretroviruses, Ottawa slide, when the xmrv replication didn't pan out, I and Miller challenged Mikovits and the WPI to post the genetic sequences to GenBank so that all the scientific reseachers would be able to have a look. To date, the only retrovirus sequences posted to GenBank from the WPI concerning Mikovits research were xmrv sequences. No newly discovered gammaretroviruses. If Mikovits has these sequences, then post them on GenBank.
It's just that simple.
Oh, by the way, Paul Jolicoeur, a renown retrovirologist in Montreal, was doing a very large xmrv research trial and Mikovits promised that he would have access to Mikovits patient cohort to draw blood. Mikovits agreed. Almost a year went by, and Mikovits still refused to allow Jolicouer access to her patient cohort. So I stepped in the backchannel when Cort was head huncho on here. Miller, I,.Mikovits, Jolicoeur, WPI made an agreement that if we dropped our particular IAP assay, she would call off her dogs coming against our research project and would allow Jolicoeur access to her patient cohort to draw blood. She lied to me, Miller and Jolicoeur after Mikovits broke our agreement which jeopardized in the end Jolicoeur research project. It's all saved in email.
The fact that Mikovits claimed xmrv was associated with every disease known to mankind -hyperbole - such as Fibromyalgia, ME/CFS, GWI,Lyme, Autism without one proven peer review research study. No credible scientists would make such claims without the research to back their statements
So, I guess she is on her world tour pedaling woo woo wacko conspiracy science to the alternative science crowd and aligning herself with Kent Heckenlively.
http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/tag/kent-heckenlively/
Mikovits has gone from savior, saint, martyr and now victim - I see a progression here - as I heard she now carries around the contagion herself. I am surprise Mikovits is not more careful in exposing everyone to this Plague.
This does not preclude the possibility that retroviruses would not be found in the future with regards to ME/CFS, they just won't be coming from Mikovit's lab at the WPI since they would've been posted by now on GenBank.