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Human endogenous retroviruses & neuro disorders - Avindra Nath publication

viggster

Senior Member
Messages
464
Neurovirologist Avindra Nath is leading the new NIH intramural study on ME/CFS. Looking through his publications, I found this interesting conference report from last year. Turns out that Nath and others have found preliminary evidence that human endogenous retroviruses are active and causing harm in MS, ALS, and type 1 diabetes. This whole field is very new and very young. However, it's interesting and at some point when patients are speaking with NIH folks someone should ask Nath if he's going to look for activated HERVs in the ME patients. HERVs are sections of DNA we all carry that encode ancient viruses. Not so long ago, someone discovered these viruses could be reactivated and brought back to life. HERVs are difficult to study, but I was surprised to read in this conference report that a phase 2 clinical trial is underway testing an anti-HERV drug in MS.
http://mobilednajournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13100-015-0051-7
(open source paper...free to download)

Here's the summary section at the end of the paper:

This first iteration of the ‘HERV & Disease’ workshop
provided the opportunity to bring together scientists and
clinicians with diverse expertise to share data and ideas
about the biology of HERVs and the possible impact of
these elements in health and disease. The event came
more than two decades after the discovery of the first
HERV-W element isolated from an MS patient, a finding
that has been the subject of much controversy and
debate in the community. How could viral elements assimilated
within the genome of humans trigger diseases
in certain patients but not others? Many laboratories
have invested a considerable effort to clarify this issue,
yielding important clues acting at different levels. First,
recent advances in genomics have started to provide
solutions to the technical challenges posed by the genetic
complexity and repetitive nature of HERVs in the
human genome. This is best illustrated with HERV-K
insertions, a growing number of which have now been
shown to be polymorphic and to occur at low frequency
in the human population. Furthermore, at the geneenvironment
interface, there is growing recognition of
cross-talks between diverse infectious agents (including
non-retroviral viruses) and HERVs and of their interference
with inflammatory and cytopathic signaling pathways.
This particular role of environmental microbes
provides examples of etiopathogenic mechanisms by
which non-physiological HERV activation may occur
and may have biological effects. This would confer a “hit
and run” role for the many infectious factors often but
partially associated with these diseases and a central role
for HERVs that, once transcriptionally activated, can
Nath et al. Mobile DNA (2015) 6:20 Page 8 of 9
trigger and fuel downstream pathogenic cascades leading
to specific lesions or cellular dysfunctions. In parallel,
diseases associated with the activation of elements of the
HERV-W family have now been extended from MS to
other inflammatory neurological or neuropsychiatric diseases,
at least one other autoimmune disease (T1D) and,
partly or in association with other HERVs, in some cancer
states. In the case of HERV-K, evidence is mounting
for the involvement of the HERV-K envelope protein in
the etiopathogenesis of sporadic SLA, which represents
a potential breakthrough for our understanding of this
and other neurodegenerative diseases. So, this and many
other studies on HERVs open exciting prospects as well
as new challenges to elucidate multifactorial etiopathogenic
pathways and cellular mechanisms underlying the
etiology and progression of many poorly understood
pathologies. There is great hope that innovative therapies
will emerge from this research. In this respect, the
good results from early clinical trials (Phase I in healthy
volunteers and Phase IIa in MS patients) for the first
specific immunotherapy targeting an associated pathogenic
HERV protein (references of publications available
from the corresponding author), provide encouraging
and new perspectives for the patients.
 

LisaGoddard

Senior Member
Messages
284
This is really interesting. My brain is zogged at the moment so will have to come back to read it later.
Thanks for posting!
 

Roy S

former DC ME/CFS lobbyist
Messages
1,376
Location
Illinois, USA
Good finds.

For what it's worth, there was a temporary but amazing effect from a drug combination including an antiretroviral reported by a ME patient on another forum (the whole forum is now gone). She reported it to her unnamed San Francisco Bay area physician who then said other patients were reporting the same thing. Their mental abilities were not just restored; they were better than ever. Her family was telling her it was like something out of the Twilight Zone. Unfortunately it gradually faded away in less than a year.

I've thought for decades that research on this disease could yield benefits way beyond just us.


p.s. I want my brain back.
 

Michelle

Decennial ME/CFS patient
Messages
172
Location
Portland, OR
p.s. I want my brain back.

I think I say that several times a day. Often w/tears in my eyes (like right now). If I could have one thing back from all this disease has taken from me, that would be it.

@viggster Thanks so much for posting this (as well as your contributions to our community!). Seriously fascinating. And I second @searcher 's recommendation about Huber. She been looking at this for awhile now.
 

Research 1st

Severe ME, POTS & MCAS.
Messages
768
Vaccine contaminants are activating the fossil retroviruses, and these are causing neuroimmune and neuropsychiatric diseases in genetically susceptible individuals by activating HERV's in many diseases, ME just one of them.

Lab created mouse SFFV got into the human population, SFFV is a neurotoxic mouse virus used in cancer research (in mice) to study human disease. BLV in breast cancer (human) presumably came from infected milk from cows carrying these novel infections. SFFV was discussed in the 2009 SCIENCE paper, but not allowed to be prominently featured, but placed in the afterthought section, with the focus on 'XMRV' which didn't exist, not Silverman's variant anyway. SFFV, was then conveniently never discussed again, even though 6% (using flawed study) found it in Americans in 2011. That's the equivalent of many millions of people immune reacting to a LAB created infection walking around in society having sex with people, donating blood, and sneezing on people - a huge alarm bell, but wrapped up nicely in a 'negative paper' that swiftly changed focus to no inflammation and Dr Hornig the psychiatrist (Dr Lipkin's long term colleague) turning up, just in time. (ME is of course associated to chronic high levels of inflammation, even after 30 years, never mind 3 years). However, these inflammatory ME sufferers have retroviruses. The 'fatigue' patients, without the neuro damage associated to ME (Neuropathy, POTS) don't have them, as Cindy Bateman's samples showed.

The people to blame are the people who never funded you, the state health agencies, not just the Americans who created the absurd notion of a 'CFS' explaining post infections severe disability, and eventual development of non HIV-AIDS. The British also knew decades ago after a drug trial caused the participants to develop irreversible CFS, this is in the MRC files they hid from the public until 2074. They knew patients were dying from 'ME'. Prominent people, established educated people respected in society, hence the 'story' is censored in the MRC files on 'ME/CFS', not just the names of the deceased.

HERV's are driving the autoimmunity and the HERV's are releasing prions.
This is why the authorities turn a blind eye to the powerful psychiatrists who create false enemies (delusional trait) in the media (propaganda) whilst trying to garner sympathy in the press for aiding the infection of tens of millions of now disabled people (psychopathy). Without the hatred for the patients, people ask questions what is happening, why are people slowly (very slowly) getting cancer, diabetes, heart failure, neuropathy, who originally had little old innocent 'CFS' in the teenage years, but are now falling apart like an immune compromised host, constantly infected by upper respiratory infections and the women getting PCOS, Fibroids and the men getting Prostate inflammation...because that's what happens in the other 'imagined' disease Chronic Lyme, or should I say, retroviral Lyme.

Dr Montoya's patient samples were 85% positive for retroviruses but you aren't supposed to ask WHY no one is doing anything from the government other than to clean the blood supply with filter paper that traps retroviruses, we are told in the headlines don't exist. Dr Lipkin won't say, still denies a retroviral link to CFS. No answers will come from him, when people with ME are excluded from his research! (Read the exclusion criteria of the 2011 paper), anyone medically ill, was excluded. They concentrated on unexplained Chronic Fatigue. Not PWME crippled by low grade, chronic, cyclical brain inflammation (ME) amd thus found no difference with the infected lab workers (controls). Hence, no correlation with exogenous retrovirus and CFS. Easy to play that out with enough 'spin'.

CFS will become a neuropsychiatric disorder, alongside Major Depression and Schizophrenia. The NIH love this, as the do the British MRC who all know the cause, hence they conversations on patients deaths with ME are redacted, at the same time as pushing a cognitive behavioural approach. You can work this 'CFS' tragedy out, without being there by reading what was censored, who censored it, and when. Then you see who is writing the propaganda at the same time in history and being awarded for it. They knew, long ago, that vaccines trigger ME, but instead of coming clean, they buried it, because by researching it, people would have realised reverse transcriptase was found in MS in the 1990's (as well as CFS) and the dots would have been joined twenty years ago to retroviruses in MS as well as CFS. HERV's are also found in ALS (fatal disease) and Sjogren's Syndrome, Cancers etc.

Dr Montoya's samples are 85% positive for retrovirus, in inflammatory CFS (ME), people with Fukuda CFS fatigue, don't have this, Dr Bateman's samples (Pro SEID doctor) were negative. NIH is seething that Mikovits told everyone the Lipkin paper was rigged, (which it was) by Fauci denying a 3rd round of testing, spling the samples, and not following same methods of detection as was agreed in the study design. She was gagged for 4 years and couldn't tell anyone, so now, time has passed, and the press articles are all over. Exactly what was planned, has occurred.

Apparently, in the background, elite informed patients with money are taking Antiretrovirals and have been for years, behind our backs (that's what money allows you to do, make choices others cannot). There's even a new drug that's been tested in MS to treat HERV's, which thankfully was safe. HERV's need organising, and it won't be one cause, so it's massively complex for each disease studied.

HERV's are only 'controversial' because of revealing what is activating them - man.

The public doesn't know who caused this HERV activation, but they wouldn't care anyway. Too busy paying tax and looking at the news feeds on Bieber and the Kardashians. Due to a human disinterest in what doesn't affect them, a subset of 'CFS' will become autoimmune by 2018, however it will be longer until the 'cause' will be proven for ME. No one will care.

Mainstream CFS will become a neuropsychiatric disorder, treated with CBT, this allows the perfect get out of jail cause, for the institutions who failed to investigate the original patients with ME, trapped inside CFS/ME. Clever isn't it? But if you know the answers to the questions before the exam, then winning isn't exactly hard.
 
Last edited:

Wally

Senior Member
Messages
1,167
Neurovirologist Avindra Nath is leading the new NIH intramural study on ME/CFS. Looking through his publications, I found this interesting conference report from last year. Turns out that Nath and others have found preliminary evidence that human endogenous retroviruses are active and causing harm in MS, ALS, and type 1 diabetes. This whole field is very new and very young. However, it's interesting and at some point when patients are speaking with NIH folks someone should ask Nath if he's going to look for activated HERVs in the ME patients.
(Note my bolding added to this quote.)

This thread is from 2016 and I was wondering, if per the suggestion of @viggster, anyone has asked and/or knows if Nath (or someone else) will be looking for activated HERV’s as part of the NIH ME/CFS Intramural Study?

I did found this paper (published in April 2018) also with Nath as one of the authors. This paper adds additional information into the discussion of HERV’s (endogenous retroviruses) and research into illnesses like MS and ALS. See, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1471491418300315
 

Wally

Senior Member
Messages
1,167
I found this video from 2016 of Dr. Nath talking with a patient who is enrolled in the NIH Intramural Study for ALS., which is looking at the role endogenous retroviruses may play in this illness.

Now I am even more curious to find out if the NIH ME/CFS Intramural Study will involve looking for endogenous retroviruses.

Even if this is not an area of investigation, it is interesting to see Dr. Nath’s interaction with this patient. He comes across with a caring nature, something that I did not pick up on during some of the meetings for the ME/CFS community to hear about the ME/CFS Intramural Study.

Once the ME/CFS patients go through this study, it would be interesting to hear what their experiences with this research process was like. I also wonder if any of the patients in the study would be interested or even allowed to film part of their stay at Camp NIH.
 

Sidny

Senior Member
Messages
176
Wally thanks for those great finds as usual.

Good finds.

For what it's worth, there was a temporary but amazing effect from a drug combination including an antiretroviral reported by a ME patient on another forum (the whole forum is now gone). She reported it to her unnamed San Francisco Bay area physician who then said other patients were reporting the same thing. Their mental abilities were not just restored; they were better than ever. Her family was telling her it was like something out of the Twilight Zone. Unfortunately it gradually faded away in less than a year.

I've thought for decades that research on this disease could yield benefits way beyond just us.


p.s. I want my brain back.

Solve me/cfs=solve all chronic disease. I think that’s precisely why it’s bing ingnored. Too much palliative profits from the eventual downstream illnesses so there’s no incentive treat the roots and actually get people better.

Also if Montoya found retroviruses in 80% of patients why were they not specifically identified? Does he treat with antiretrovirals? I mean, aren’t retroviruses the most dangerous of all pathogens?
 
Messages
73
I had infected with 2 kinds of HERV. So it means at least 1 HERV is infected by other people. Because I have only 1 genome.

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