The WPI have responded to the nature article:
http://www.wpinstitute.org/news/docs/NatureResponse.pdf
http://www.wpinstitute.org/news/docs/NatureResponse.pdf
It is important to clarify statements in Ewan Callaway’s recent article which were
attributed to Dr. Peterson implying that Dr. Mikovits was being “secretive and noncollaborative” with regards to the XMRV study. Dr. Mikovits is an outstanding
researcher who has created numerous collaborative studies over the course of her
research career. She fully understands the responsibility the creator of each study has to
the entire team to ensure scientific integrity of their project. To do this, it is imperative to
have the work fully examined and peer reviewed prior to publication.
It is a very common and accepted practice for individuals from different scientific
and clinical organizations to ask each contributor to sign confidentiality agreements to
protect the work of the investigators and the confidentiality of the patients until the
subject matter is published. Dr. Peterson declined to sign the appropriate confidentiality
agreements until the study was well underway; therefore, he could not be given access to
other scientist’s or patient data until it was protected by written agreement.