Very interesting. Thanks for that Cort.
It would be an enormous advance if they have found a way to measure viral load, but I'm confused as to how they could, using existing knowledge and methodologies, considering the difficulties of detecting XMRV due to the apparently very low copy numbers in the blood.
Dr Bagni's study, using an XMRV-specific antibody test, would be extremely helpful if it was published... An XMRV-specific antibody test would be a huge step forwards.
Interesting to hear Judy talk about re-freezing samples in storage, and how it destroys XMRV... I wonder if this finding is linked to work done by the Blood Working Group.
Interesting that Judy is re-emphasising the importance of patient cohort... The emphasis seemed to have moved onto sample preparation and storage, in relation to the negative studies... I suppose it's important to focus on both issues, not just one or the other.
Very interesting that Alter's pMRV's might need a different cell line to grow in, which I suppose might lead to pMRV's being detected far more frequently once the methodology is advanced.
I didn't know that Frank Ruscetti discovered HTLV, so that's very interesting to learn.
I didn't know much about the relationship between Judy and the Ruscettis, so it's interesting to learn more about that.
I liked Dusty Miller's quote about the Hue study... It's something that I had thought about... I think Alter is said to have tested his samples for all known mouse DNA and retroviruses, so he would surely have tested for contamination by the mouse DNA that the Hue study looked at.
Also, how can Hue et al deny the existence of XMRV if they were not even attempting to detect or sequence XMRV, specifically, in their study? In their study, they got a positive reading with a test which wasn't specific to XMRV, and then said that the fact that their test wasn't specific for XMRV meant that their positive reading showed that XMRV doesn't exist! It seems like very woolly science. It's like holding a peach or a nectarine in your hand with your eyes shut, and saying that because I have detected a fruit in my hand but can't determine whether it is a peach or a nectarine, that peaches don't exist.