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1st International Workshop on XMRV

Adam

Senior Member
Messages
495
Location
Sheffield UK

Happy, happy happy.

Thanks Tina. After 1 minute 30 seconds of the Salteens, I'm so happy, I lost the will to live. Anyone know a good shrink?

CBS Pass me a towel. BTW That sarcasm will get you into hot water one of these days. Which come to think of it, is a strange expression, as in fact, I love hot water it makes me feel good.
 

fred

The game is afoot
Messages
400
http://www.virology-education.com/index.cfm/t/Programma/vid/BCA66016-F1CA-9B06-5AA8654C614A42B1

In this meting on the 4th of June in the Netherlands there will be a debat on XMRV.

12.30h DEBAT: een nieuw retrovirus (XMRV) bij de mens: passagier of pathogeen? Prof. dr. Jos van der Meer and Prof. dr. Charles Boucher

Can there be two Jos van der Meers or is this the same ME 'denialist' who co-authored the 'failure to detect...' Dutch paper which they subsquently admitted was rejected by the Lancet after a six week peer review?
 

lansbergen

Senior Member
Messages
2,512
Can there be two Jos van der Meers or is this the same ME 'denialist' who co-authored the 'failure to detect...' Dutch paper which they subsquently admitted was rejected by the Lancet after a six week peer review?

I only know one.
 

V99

Senior Member
Messages
1,471
Location
UK
Why would someone interested in CFS, not interest in XMRV, be there?
 

jimbob

ME/CFS84-XMRV+
Messages
321
Location
myrtle beach, s.c.
there's 2 minutes of my life i can never get back, made mistake of clicking on salteens song! When we get cured, maybe i'll change my mind.
 

BEG

Senior Member
Messages
1,032
Location
Southeast US
1st International Workshop on XMRV

http://www.virology-education.com/i..._XMRV/vid/1FF10297-0DC4-5841-64634A68A3EC3EF1


Dear Colleague,

It is with great pleasure that we announce a new initiative in the
field of XMRV research, the "1st International Workshop on XMRV:
Pathogenesis, Clinical and Public Health Implications". This workshop
will be held on September 7-9 this year on East-Coast USA.

The objective of this scientific conference is to assemble an
international group of scientists, physicians and epidemiologists to
present and discuss, in a public forum, the latest XMRV studies on a
range of topics including virus-host interactions, cell type tropism,
mode of transmission, animal models and the efficacy of current
antiretroviral drugs.

This meeting will offer an interactive setting where the latest
developments in the field can be presented in order to evaluate the
state of our knowledge, address controversies, and develop an
understanding between experts that will help direct future research.

This workshop will be co-sponsored by the NIH and will be organized by
Virology Education.

We would highly value your attendance at this workshop and look
forward to welcoming you at this very important XMRV Workshop in
September 2010.

Kind regards,

The Organizing Committee

Charles Boucher, Erasmus University, The Netherlands
John Coffin, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD, USA
Stewart Le Grice, NIH, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD, USA
Robert Silverman, Cleveland Clinic, Ohio, USA
Jonathan Stoye, National Institute for Medical Research, UK
 

Advocate

Senior Member
Messages
529
Location
U.S.A.
... there seemed to be a measure of rejoicing...at the negative findings
Hi Shane,

When the European studies were published, your phrase--"measure of rejoicing"--could also have been applied to some of the posts and articles I read on this forum. Right here on this forum. I found it upsetting.

Happily, now most people, at least on this forum, seem to understand the fact that three crooked studies in Europe merely succeeded in doing what they set out to do--not find XMRV in people with ME or CFS.

Advocate
 

fred

The game is afoot
Messages
400
Why would someone interested in CFS, not interest in XMRV, be there?

Follow the money. The workshop in September and the debate in June are being organised by Virology Education, a Dutch company whose business is arranging medical conferences, publishing the material from these conferences and also publishing a journal. Given that it 'specialises' in HIV and Hep C, XMRV would seem a natural 'product diversification' for the company.

First step in capturing this new market would be to arrange a big conference in the US (because that's 'where it's at') and get the leading lights in XMRV to headline it (i.e. get them on a committee that 'steers' the event). This would be Coffin and Silverman and a few hangers on. These 'big names' will attract other punters who will pay to attend (anyone checked the fees for this yet?).

Next step is to get either the CDC or the NIH involved. A bit of Government body involvement always adds a touch of credibility and they also have big budgets and an even bigger network of connections who will use taxpayers' $ to attend.

Then all you have to do is hype it to the max, invite some 'keynote' speakers and wait for the liggers to come out of the woodwork to do admin/co-ordination type stuff for you.

Now you can use this conference as a 'draw' for preceding workshops and 'debates' which, in turn, will reinforce your credentials for running the conference. The 'preceding' events don't have to be too 'high brow', just as long as you get the word 'XMRV' in there somehow and feature someone who thinks they're an expert in it.

Finally, you publish all and any material from these various events, retain copyright and make a fortune, before moving on to the next pathogen.

And why isn't the WPI involved? Either the 'leading lights', the NIH and/or the organisers don't want them to be. I don't get the impression that any of the above are prepared to bask in reflected glory.
 
B

bluebell

Guest
I don't get the impression that any of the above are prepared to bask in reflected glory.

Exactly so. Why are PECs so eloquent? This is the only open internet forum where I find consistently good scientific analysis coupled with posts that often read like poetry;-).
 

jspotila

Senior Member
Messages
1,099
And why isn't the WPI involved? Either the 'leading lights', the NIH and/or the organisers don't want them to be. I don't get the impression that any of the above are prepared to bask in reflected glory.

Did I miss confirmation that WPI is not involved? Does anyone know for sure that Dr. Mitkovits has not been included?
 

fred

The game is afoot
Messages
400
Did I miss confirmation that WPI is not involved? Does anyone know for sure that Dr. Mitkovits has not been included?

Circumstantial evidence. There is no mention of the WPI's involvement on their website or Facebook page and, generally, they are very good at announcing events that they are attending.

There is no mention of the WPI on Virology Education's site and, given that they are arranging the conference, they should know who is attending.

Perhaps the WPI will be invited to attend or speak in due course which would be rather like being invited to your own birthday party.

I am surprised that Dr Mikovits does not have a seat on the committee given that she was the first researcher to isolate XMRV in blood. That honour seems to have gone, instead, to a researcher who failed to detect the retrovirus in UK patients.
 
Messages
9
Fred, you are exactly right. It's like being invited to your own birthday party, except Suzanne Vernon is hosting.

I find it confirms my suspicion from several months ago that scientists will continue to try to disassociate XMRV with ME/CFS at all. These are, after all, political diseases, controversial and uncomfortable to deal with. Now, cancer, that is worth noting for scientist, but still, not in the realms of ME/CFS, of course. No increased incidence of cancer they will tell you. I swear you could say XMRV causes gray hair or baldness and you would generate more interest and discussion in the scientific community at large than what you will with XMRV related ME/CFS.

Dr. Mikovits deserves due credit for this discovery. She should have been on that list from the get go and asked to chair. If people think science is as objective as what the scientists like us to believe, think again. Networking and connections with NIH mean everything in these matters. Or, so it would seem from the sidelines.
 
Messages
44
If I remember correctly, there was a posting re Interview with, I believe, Coffin where he talked about the Lombardi study. He said he did not think WPI was at CROI and did not know why. I find it very strange that WPI are left out.
 

fred

The game is afoot
Messages
400
If I remember correctly, there was a posting re Interview with, I believe, Coffin where he talked about the Lombardi study. He said he did not think WPI was at CROI and did not know why. I find it very strange that WPI are left out.

You are right. The WPI did not attend CROI because they were not invited.

Also interesting to note that, even though Dr Mikovits presented at the latest Prague conference, the 'headliners' were as follows.

Paul Jolicoeur (Clinic. Res. Inst., Montreal, Canada)
John Coffin (Tufts, MA)
Jonathan Stoye (NIMR, London, UK)
Francis W. Ruscetti (NIH, MD)
Stephen P. Goff (Columbia U, NY)

So, it would appear that Dr Judy has isolated a retrovirus and other retrovirologists have isolated Dr Judy.
 

Kati

Patient in training
Messages
5,497
Fred for some reason that I don't know, Dr Mikovits is not presenting formally at Prague, other than her poster, and I believe poster presenters were allowed 5-10 minutes to present.

As for speculation as of why not, it could be the organizers or it could be Dr Mikovits being late in applying, I don't want to take sides or judge ahead of time. It is sad really. If you notice on the schedule, there was not much mention of XMRV through the regular program. Dr Jolicoeur, Coffin, Ruscetti, Stoye and Goff discussed HIV HTLV and alpharetrovirus. At the very least Dr Mikovits will have the opportunity to network and share her knowledge with other scientists. Go Judy!