Science Live Chat Tomorrow re CFS: Michael Busch XMRV Working Group

[shannah]

Live Chat: Chronic Fatigue Syndrome -- Science and Controversy

by Martin Enserink on 21 September 2011, 3:36 PM

Two years ago, Science published a paper suggesting that a mouse retrovirus called XMRV might be involved in chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), a debilitating disease with no known cause. The study raised worries that XMRV might be spreading via blood donations. Since then, many other studies have failed to find XMRV in CFS patients, and some have suggested that the 2009 paper was the result of lab contamination.

Where does the science stand today? And how has the long and sometimes bitter debate affected the scientific field and CFS patients? Join us for a live chat on this page at 3 p.m. EDT on Thursday, 22 September, to discuss these and other questions with experts including Michael Busch, a transfusion medicine scientist involved in XMRV research. You can leave your questions in the comment box below before the chat starts.


Michael P. Busch is director of the Blood Systems Research Institute in San Francisco, California. He has led many studies in transfusion medicine and is a member of the Blood XMRV Scientific Research Working Group, a government-funded panel investigating whether XMRV is a risk to the blood supply.

http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2011/09/live-chat-chronic-fatigue-syndro.html

 

[eric_s]

And all of that immediately before we will hear the results of the BWG... Does this mean anything? Hard to tell if it's hinting towards positive or negative results.

Edit: Just saw that Levy will be there as well

 

[Jemal]

And all of that immediately before we will hear the results of the BWG... Does this mean anything? Hard to tell if it's hinting towards positive or negative results.

Edit: Just saw that Levy will be there as well

Busch is just a member of the BWG I think? I don't think he can speak for the entire group and he might still be under embargo. Levy being there might be another sign of something. I have no idea what to expect of this. This could mean anything...

I guess we will have to wait and see.

Edit: if the results of the BWG indicate that XMRV is infecting humans, wouldn't they want to strictly control the newsflow? Organise a press conference like they did when the Lo/Alter study published.

 

[eric_s]

I also don't think Busch can say much, unless they would publish the paper tomorrow, ahead of the chat session, of course. You never know. But most certainly Busch knows the results.

 

[Cort]

From what I've heard big, BIG news is coming tomorrow on XMRV; if my information is correct a series of papers will be released. Stay tuned!

The BWG will be reporting on their results at the conference as well.

 

[Boule de feu]

From what I've heard big, BIG news is coming tomorrow on XMRV; if my information is correct a series of papers will be released. Stay tuned!

The BWG will be reporting on their results at the conference as well.

Cort! You just posted your 6000th post! Congrats!
... and strangely, it was my 700th... =-)

 

[Esther12]

From what I've heard big, BIG news is coming tomorrow on XMRV; if my information is correct a series of papers will be released. Stay tuned!

The BWG will be reporting on their results at the conference as well.

Any hint which way?

 

[Cort]

Kaching!

6K! (and I haven't been posting alot lately)....and this makes 6003.....I think....that is lot of posts....700 is alot of posts

 

[Cort]

Any hint which way?

I was told a series of papers will be released 6pm EST. I guess that's true since the chat is tomorrow - 36 minutes after the purported release time. No hints other than its really major stuff. I must say they have REALLY kept the results under wraps.........

 

[eric_s]

The chat is at 3 pm, not at 6 pm. Did you make a typo, Cort? Having Levy on the program doesn't give me the best possible feeling, but on the other hand, apart from a negative BWG paper, i can't see how a negative paper could be very big news. We've already seen many of them. Unless it was an Alter/Lo or Ruscetti/WPI paper. There should be a paper from Dr. Bieger's group at some point, but i don't know if that's ready and also there should be something from Dr. De Meirleir coming up, if i'm not mistaken.

 

[free at last]

I was told a series of papers will be released 6pm EST. I guess that's true since the chat is tomorrow - 36 minutes after the purported release time. No hints other than its really major stuff. I must say they have REALLY kept the results under wraps.........

I have a feeling you know something you cant say, fully understood. cant put you on the spot. Feels like your excited. i hope thats a correct spider sense. and not a wrong spider detection. Apologies for the duplicate post i just put up

 

[shannah]

Here's what Mindy has to say.

Wednesday, September 21, 2011




TO BE OR NOT TO BE

Tomorrow Science will publish the Phase III study by the Blood Working Group, which includes scientists at the Whittemore Peterson Institute, the Food and Drug Administration, the National Cancer Institute, the Centers for Disease Control, and the commercial labs Abbott and Gen-Probe.

Tomorrow at 3 p.m. EST, ScienceLive, a weekly live chat hosted by Science's Martin Enserink, will delve into "the science and controversy surrounding Chronic Fatigue Syndrome," explained the show's producer Daniel Strain in an email. Those interested in participating in the show can click here and post questions to guests Dr. Michael Busch of the Blood Research Institute in San Francisco and Dr. Jay Levy of University of California at San Francisco. Levy's XMRV study didn't find the virus.

more at

http://www.cfscentral.com/