Coffin and Ruscetti blast contamination rumours
This was originally posted here
http://listserv.nodak.edu/cgi-bin/wa.exe?A2=ind1005a&L=co-cure&T=0&F=&S=&P=1724.
This press release was issued today 2010/3/05 in The Netherlands.
url:
http://www.voedingenpsyche.nl/nieuwsitem.php?item=86
Here is an English translation
Positive ‘XMRV-study’ is only a matter of time
Prague - May 3, 2010. Last October U.S. scientist presented a breakthrough
around the research on chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), which was published
in Science. They found traces of the retrovirus XMRV in the blood of CFS
patients. Thereafter, three groups of researchers, including one from
Nijmegen, couldn’t confirm these findings. However, at the "Centennial
Retrovirus Meeting" in Prague it became clear that the first positive
'replication study' seems only a matter of time.
The June issue of the journal Ortho will focus on the multi-day conference
in Prague, which ends today. Especially in the corridors this new retrovirus
was the talk of the day. Insiders agree that the negative XMRV studies which
have been published so far, were not exact replication studies. These groups
used techniques that differed too much from those used by the U.S.
researchers. This is also true for a yet unpublished German study, where
XMRV wasn’t found in blood samples from CFS patients either.
Recently the American scientist Dr. Judy Mikovits visited several European
research groups to instruct them in the proper laboratory technique. It is
now clear that these visits are starting to pay off. During the Prague
Conference Mikovits explained once more in great detail the complex
methodology of the Whittemore-Peterson Institute (WPI), the National Cancer
Institute (NCI) and the Cleveland Clinic. This methodology of cultivating
the virus is imperative because XMRV is only present in extremely low
concentrations in the peripheral blood.
Dr. Francis Ruscetti of the renowned NCI - a U.S. government agency – told
Ortho that he hopes this controversy will be over in 2011. He is especially
surprised about the fact that the investigators of the UMC St. Radboud
concealed in their publication that the Americans found traces of XMRV in
the same blood samples from the Dutch patients. "I do not know how they
think they get away with this ethically," said Ruscetti. "I do not think
this is good science." Ruscetti pointed out again that the WPI, the NCI and
the Cleveland Clinic applied four procedures in their research. "In the
negative studies only one procedure was applied." Ruscetti also ventilated
his annoyance over what he calls the "whisper campaign" about contamination.
According to the Nijmegen researchers, the Americans contaminated or
polluted the Dutch blood samples.
Among others Ruscetti is supported by Prof. Dr. John Coffin, who is linked
both to the NCI and Tufts University in Boston. He is considered one of the
most prominent retrovirologists in the world. "People have raised the issue
of contamination," said Coffin. "But nothing is known about this. There is
not a single shred of evidence to support these rumours. Much of the
research is done at the NCI, in the laboratory of Francis and Sandra
Ruscetti. They have a long experience with these viruses and are very
cautious."
Coffin emphasized once again that doing a replication study implies that it
is performed in exactly the same way. "In none of the negative studies that
have been published so far, the virus was grown," said Coffin. 'Only in the
Science study this has been done, and that is a very strong point. "
Researchers from Nijmegen were not present at this leading conference.
Patients, professionals and the media may read the latest news on ME / CFS,
XMRV (and blood transfusion) on
www.voedingenpsyche.nl. This is the website
of the Congress Food & Psyche, which will be devoted entirely to ME / CFS
this year.