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Advert for virologist, Imperial College study

Min

Guest
Messages
1,387
Location
UK
here's the ad for a virologist to undertake the Imperial College study:

http://www.findaphd.com/search/showproject.asp?projectid=18971

the closing date for applications was 23 NOVEMBER 2009


please can someone confirm when the study was finalised - was it Dec 1st?


if so, something very very strange went on here.

(sorry, double post with bullybeefs - can't see how to delete mine)
 

bullybeef

Senior Member
Messages
488
Location
North West, England, UK
The Kings College Scandal

Whilst doing some ME/CFS browsing, not particularly looking for anything, I inadvertently did. I found the following job advertisement:

http://www.findaphd.com/search/showproject.asp?projectid=18971

If you look closer, you will see the Kings College were looking for a someone to investigate the prevalence of XMRV in CFS. There is no mention of Dr. McClure in the project details, so was she hired from this a job advert?

Secondly, scroll down to the closing date: 23 NOVEMBER 2009!!

Can anyone see something strange there? If their paper was submitted on the December 1st, how the ell did they mange to hire someone and finalize with their study in just 8 DAYS????

I think this advert needs sending the likes of the Guardian, the BBC, the Independent and definitely, the Daily Mail.

I think this, says everything about the inaccuracy of their study. Personably, I think they must have had the results in before they even hired the retrovirologist. How else could they achieve what they claimed to achieved in just over 1 WEEK???
 
D

DysautonomiaXMRV

Guest
Hi. If done in a normal time frame, she must have been hired before, as like you said the closing date for the job was too soon in comparison with the published study.

Unless, she was hired and the XMRV study was done in a matter of days? This would initially seem impossible, however I believe the 'Peer Review' took just 3 days, and the WPI study took 6 months.

.
 

flybro

Senior Member
Messages
706
Location
pluto
Any chance this is directed at a student to count towards their phd.

1st? Does what I've bolded and underlined seem oddly worded.
'We will establish quantitative PCR assays and serology assays including enzyme linked immunosorbant assays (ELISA) to detect and quantify XMRV. Importantly, assays used to detect related murine leukaemia viruses in the lab are expected to be suitable. '


2nd? Does the bit I've underlined mean they should already be qualified molecular biologist, or that they will be once the project is completed?
'This project proposes to address some of the most important questions surrounding the recently described XMRV infection of humans and to seek a therapeutic strategy for XMRV treatment. We expect it to be a competitive project and the experiments performed are likely to be influenced by ongoing studies published as we go. We expect that the candidate will be fully trained in modern techniques of molecular virology during the course of this project.
 

Countrygirl

Senior Member
Messages
5,425
Location
UK
Good find, bullybeef. We need our scientific boffins on the forum to examine the advert. It certainly was a rushed job!
 

flex

Senior Member
Messages
304
Location
London area
^
What exactly is strange about the ad. Am I missing something?

Didn't they appoint their own man anyway?

Isn't advertising a post just employment law that no one really abides by anyway?

I suppose that technically they could be called on it!
 
Messages
5,238
Location
Sofa, UK
The ad is for a different study: the larger, more detailed, and hopefully more serious study by University College London (UCL), and not for the "world's fastest" study by Imperial College, Wessely et al, an unannounced study produced in association with OhNoItIsnt Productions and Deny-Me-Kwik which popped up out of the blue to win the global race to conduct an XMRV/CFS test but unfortunately did so by using a test that failed to detect XMRV in humans, rendering redundant all the serious questions about whether the test was actually conducted on people with CFS.
 
Messages
5,238
Location
Sofa, UK
The ad is for a different study: the larger, more detailed, and hopefully more serious study by University College London (UCL), and not for the "world's fastest" study by Imperial College, Wessely et al, an unannounced study produced in association with OhNoItIsnt Productions and Deny-Me-Kwik which popped up out of the blue to win the global race to conduct an XMRV/CFS test but unfortunately did so by using a test that failed to detect XMRV in humans, rendering redundant all the serious questions about whether the test was actually conducted on people with CFS.
 

bullybeef

Senior Member
Messages
488
Location
North West, England, UK
I have just crossed checked the names and they do differ. The University College study must a different one. I apologise for any error, but it did look erroneous at first glance.

Maybe this is Dr. Kerr’s study, he is based at St. George's University of London. Maybe that is my confusion.
 
G

George

Guest
Roflmto

The ad is for a different study: the larger, more detailed, and hopefully more serious study by University College London (UCL), and not for the "world's fastest" study by Imperial College, Wessely et al, an unannounced study produced in association with OhNoItIsnt Productions and Deny-Me-Kwik which popped up out of the blue to win the global race to conduct an XMRV/CFS test but unfortunately did so by using a test that failed to detect XMRV in humans, rendering redundant all the serious questions about whether the test was actually conducted on people with CFS.

That has got to be one of the best sentences ever rendered in one breath! Good ta see ya round.
 
K

_Kim_

Guest
The ad is for a different study: the larger, more detailed, and hopefully more serious study by University College London (UCL), and not for the "world's fastest" study by Imperial College, Wessely et al, an unannounced study produced in association with OhNoItIsnt Productions and Deny-Me-Kwik which popped up out of the blue to win the global race to conduct an XMRV/CFS test but unfortunately did so by using a test that failed to detect XMRV in humans, rendering redundant all the serious questions about whether the test was actually conducted on people with CFS.

:D:tear::D:victory::D:tear::D
 
G

George

Guest
Hey Kim do you think the two threads on this should be merged??? I'd love to read Marks reply twice. (ar, ar, snort, snort)
 
K

_Kim_

Guest
Hey Kim do you think the two threads on this should be merged??? I'd love to read Marks reply twice. (ar, ar, snort, snort)

I was merging as you were posting :D

How 'bout one more time:

Originally Posted by Mark
The ad is for a different study: the larger, more detailed, and hopefully more serious study by University College London (UCL), and not for the "world's fastest" study by Imperial College, Wessely et al, an unannounced study produced in association with OhNoItIsnt Productions and Deny-Me-Kwik which popped up out of the blue to win the global race to conduct an XMRV/CFS test but unfortunately did so by using a test that failed to detect XMRV in humans, rendering redundant all the serious questions about whether the test was actually conducted on people with CFS.
 

parvofighter

Senior Member
Messages
440
Location
Canada
Flybro, this is what jumped out for me, from your quote:

Importantly, assays used to detect related murine leukaemia viruses in the lab are expected to be suitable. '
a) Who is doing this study?
b) Given the apparent sophistication in diagnostics required to find XMRV (I think Coffin, VIP Dx, etc. have mentioned this), is it "good enough" to use assays used to detect related MLV's, instead of a specific assay designed for XMRV?

Something to keep in mind when the results of that study come out....
 

flybro

Senior Member
Messages
706
Location
pluto
Hi parvo,

I htoght it sounded as though they were saying, if you don't agree that we can find it in our related murine leukaemia viruses assays, do'nt apply.
 

Martlet

Senior Member
Messages
1,837
Location
Near St Louis, MO
What exactly is strange about the ad. Am I missing something?

Didn't they appoint their own man anyway?

Isn't advertising a post just employment law that no one really abides by anyway?

I suppose that technically they could be called on it!

I was thinking the same thing, Flex.