Dr Singh's XMRV Patents: Something for Dr Lipkin -and the NY Times- to chew on

[parvofighter]

With thanks to JMK on mecfsforums for this excellent scoop here: http://www.mecfsforums.com/index.php/topic,3589.msg37631.html#msg37631 .

There is no other way to say it: Dr Singh is kicking butt again. Dr Singh's XMRV patents provide ground-shaking revelations on XMRV, breast cancer, prostate cancer, and ME/CFS. The original patents are a very dense read, potentially a barrier for many patients. So we've provided a summary, in the form of key excerpts & summary headings, on XMRV Global Action that you can read here: http://www.facebook.com/#!/notes/xmrv-global-action/dr-singhs-xmrv-patents-ground-shaking-revelations-on-xmrv-breast-cancer-prostate/472237776796 .

XMRV guru Dr Singh's lengthy XMRV patents were published November 18th, 2010 on the World Intellectual Property Organization website. Keep in mind taht the filing date for these patents was May 17,2010, so Dr Singh veyr likely has more goodies up her sleeve, particularly with respect to ME/CFS and XMRV and related MLV's, which she has been busily working on.

Fellow patients - this latest from Dr Singh is well worth your time. For those of you dismayed by the New York Times' portrayal of Dr Lipkin as the be-all-and-end-all in XMRV/ME/CFS: these patents will make it that much harder to sweep the association between XMRV/ME/CFS under the carpet.

The info is a very dense read, so we've tried to make it more accessible to more patients.

As we said in our summary. This. Is. Big.

 

[Sasha]

I don't really understand the context of this - is Dr Singh applying for a patent on her detection method for XMRV? If so, why is she including all the stuff about higher levels of XMRV in breast cancer etc.? Is it so that people can see the range of possible applications for the method?

I'm so used to seeing straight research papers published in journals that I don't know what to make of this - is this original research that we haven't seen before? Would it be normal for it to be submitted for publication now?

Sorry, can't get my head around this! I can see people are excited and I feel a bit dim for not understanding what's going on.

 

[Jemal]

Wow, some exciting news again. If the link with breast cancer pans out, the funds will truly start pouring in, and war will be declared on this little virus.
Thanks for summarizing!

 

[free at last]

i cant understand a lot either Sasha
But

I havent seen the breast cancer link before. i think finding xmrv only in malignent cells ( if ive understood that correctly ) appears to indicate somekind of a relationship to cancer. the antibody findings seem interesting too for two reasons 1 they only seem to be getting a antibody reaction with xmrv infected blood, not negative blood. and 2 it appears like she is detecting xmrv in CFS patients. hope to read more from the folks who understand all this better

 

[eric_s]

Welcome back, parvo. Thanks. And don't worry about anything being swept under the carpet. I think we can really forget that for good now. If you read in the latest WSJ blog which pharma companies are involved, forget it.

 

[Sasha]

I'm hoping Cort is reading this and will summarise it for us all in XMRV Buzz, if we're lucky!

 

[eric_s]

Looks like XMRV could also start a new way of looking at cancer, or do they already do that

methods and compositions relating to the assessment of the cancer grade and long-term prognosis of a subject with cancer through the detection of anti-XMRV antibodies.

with other viruses?

 

[eric_s]

Wow it seems as if she has already done almost all of the work necessary...

Only thing lacking is a therapy

 

[justy]

I am not trying to be a party pooper, biut didnt Elaine De Freitas, Cheyney and Bell also file a patent in about 1991, and that didnt come to anything. http://forums.aboutmecfs.org/entry.php?187-Startling-Revelations-from-Wistar-s-World-Patent

I hope i am wrong and these patents turn out to be useful this time around

 

[eric_s]

Sure, but what's described here goes much further than just finding DNA sequences through PCR in people with 1 illness. There's so much in this text. And it coincides with the other positive studies, similar percentages. Plus she described what she has done to rule out contamination. And others have done a lot in this direction, too. Then all the pharma companies that are getting to work. And the BWG and Lipkin.

Did all this happen in the case of Dr. DeFreitas, too? As far as i know, it was just her reporting findings through PCR (antibodies too?) and that was about it.
And before her study her virus was unknown, and afterwards it was never seen again. XMRV on the other hand definitely exists, i think there's no doubt about that.
Please correct me, if i'm wrong.

I'm not saying it's all settled yet, but there is much going on.

 

[justy]

eric-s, dont get me wrong i do agree with everything you say above. I have read the pages and it seems like a lot is going on. I'm just pointing out that a patent does not necessarily mean all the workhas been done. It may be work that she expects to be done which would allow the actual physical"making" of her "inventions" in the future.
Sorry if im not making sense - a bit worn out. I do think it is exciting news though, but dont want to count my chickens before they're hatched an all that.

 

[CBS]

I don't really understand the context of this - is Dr Singh applying for a patent on her detection method for XMRV? If so, why is she including all the stuff about higher levels of XMRV in breast cancer etc.? Is it so that people can see the range of possible applications for the method?

Sasha,

Patent applications are typically written in the broadest terms possible. In this case, the data that is supplied appears to be from a number of yet to be published studies that Dr. Singh has been working on for years. The two efforts that come to mind are her cadaver study and her CFS study. The numbers of the CFS study (105 patients and 200 controls) line up exactly with the samples she collected last March. It's very reasonable to assume that she found XMRV in that study and in September she stated that she expected to submit that study for publication by the end of the year. She expected to submit her cadaver study by the end of October.

From the statement:

Similarly, to detect if patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome have evidence of XMRV infection, we collected sera from 105 patients diagnosed as having chronic fatigue syndrome and fulfilling the Fukuda criteria for diagnosis. For comparison, we also collected sera from 200 healthy volunteers. Each of these sera was used to probe a PVDF membrane onto which XMRV proteins had been transferred from a gel. . A positive sample usually contained antibodies reactive to at least two of the following three XMRV polypeptides: SU, CA and pi 5E (see Fig. 13A). Non-reactive samples (most healthy volunteers) did not contain antibodies to SU or pl5E (Fig. 13B).

it seems very safe to assume that she found XMRV in CFS patients and in a small number of the controls. From the entirety of the application, it's reasonable to conclude that she found XMRV in CFS patients in a relatively high percentage.

I suspect that in addition to her CFS and cadaver studies, there are studies of which we are unaware. Now that this information is public, I also suspect that we'll be seeing published articles soon. This also impacts Lipkin's work as Singh is a colleague of his and she has retained her position on Columbia's faculty even after moving to Utah. If she has figured this out, you can safely assume she's shared that with Lipkin.

As Parvo said, THIS IS HUGE!

 

[Navid]

each:

Today I am thankful for Dr. Ila Singh.

Thank you Dr. Singh and your whole team.

(i had to throw the magical peach in there too)

 

[Sasha]

I have faith in the magic peach, shebacat - I think it's like the genie's lamp!

 

[Cort]

Wow, this is big. The big stuff for me are where she's indicated she's found; she found it in 25% breast cancer samples (whew!), semen (I think), she's found antibodies in CFS.....and, I would guess elsewhere....that's strong stuff!!! Another amazing turnaround for XMRV? It sure looks like it.

The Breast Cancer stuff alone will turn the world on its head if its validated....

I agree that patents in themselves don't change the research world - published studies do but patents coming from sober, well recognized researchers really do mean something. This patent wouldn't have been applied for, I wouldn't think, if she wasn't confident about her techniques.....I think it means she feels she's resolved alot of detection issues - she feels she knows how to search for and find XMRV.

Maybe that CFS study will be done soon.

 

[George]

Here's what struck me. I remember Dr. Coffin at the first CFSAC meeting in October of 2009 talking about XMRV in breast cancer. We all thought he simply misspoke. Obviously he didn't.

What upsets me is that so much of the work that is going on is hidden from the ME/CFS community but also from the general public. I remember when we talked about the Women's sexual organ study that was listed on the Cleaveland Clinic site. We never heard anymore about that either. We've been starved for the barest tidbit for over a year and yet it appears that a LOT of information has been gathered.

The other thing I don't get is something that is obviously this HUGE, why in the world would you put out press that one scientist is going to confirm or deny the existence of something like this. If it turns out that XMRV produces an inflammatory response in the body that makes tumors more aggressive in breast and prostate cancer, possibly produces proteins that produce the stretching of blood vessels causing blood leakage into the brain and problems with blood pressure and gut permeability (ME/CFS, autism) It seems surreal that you would advertise that one guy was gonna be in charge of de-bunking or confirming this much science. Even if he has a three story lab and people from ever group.

It would make more sense to have the "best" minds in each area looking at this in-depth and working bringing that knowledge together. Which seems to be happening despite the NIH veneer of Dr. Lipkin in charge. Course this is just my dark brain at work down here on the gutter level, and drool is worth spits so therya go. (grins)

 

[urbantravels]

Looks like the cadavers had a lot to say. Breast cancer?? Malignancies in other reproductive tissues??? WOWSER.

 

[alex3619]

I just read that she found XMRV in 25% of breast cancer samples. I hope this speeds things up.

Hi Diesel and everyone, something has been bugging me for some months, and this is a big piece of evidence, even if unpublished. Something like one in four breast cancer survivors develop a CFS-like illness, but its not called CFS. Coincidence? You decide.

Bye,
Alex

 

[Cort]

Looks like the cadavers had a lot to say. Breast cancer?? Malignancies in other reproductive tissues??? WOWSER.

They were singing for sure :Retro smile::Retro smile::Retro smile:

 

[pine108kell]

Something like one in four breast cancer survivors develop a CFS-like illness, but its not called CFS.

Bye,
Alex

If you are going to post something like this, please provide some kind of reference. What is the point of speculation based on more speculation?