Whittemore Peterson Institute Leads ME/CFS Research

In 2009, Whittemore Peterson Institute scientists discovered a significant link between a newly-found retrovirus, xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus (XMRV), and the neuroimmune disease, ME/CFS. Their ground-breaking discovery was published in the world-renowned journal Science, on October 8, 2010.

http://www.wpinstitute.org/xmrv/docs/wpi_pressrel_100809.pdf

http://www.sciencemag.org/content/326/5952/585.abstract?keytype=ref&siteid=sci&ijkey=m3wzKT4yJqEyk

This discovery brought renewed interest to the much-maligned disease and a flurry of research was conducted in order to confirm the link.

On August 23rd 2010, US government scientists validated the link, announcing they had found an association between a family of infectious murine leukaemia viruses and ME/CFS. They reported that 87% of those sampled carried at least one of the retroviruses, along with 7% (1 in 14) of the healthy controls.

http://www.rescindinc.org/fdanihpressconf.mp3

http://www.cfscentral.com/2010/08/fdanihharvard-xmrv-study-same-thing.html

http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2010/08/16/1006901107.full.pdf+html

http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2010/08/16/1007944107.full.pdf+html

XMRV is similar to HIV, the retrovirus that causes AIDS.

Several countries have banned ME/CFS patients from giving blood. In many cases these bans are for life.

For more information on XMRV and the Whittemore Peterson Institute, please visit the following site: http://www.wpinstitute.org/

If you would like to donate a regular, small amount to help push this research on, then please consider participating in the COUNT ME IN campaign. For more details visit: http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=160913563956987

For more information about the ME/CFS Worldwide Patient Alliance and efforts to increase awareness of this illness and the scientific discoveries, go here: http://mcwpa.org/

Comments

  1. JanJanuary 21, 2011 at 10:43 AM

    Fantastic post on XMRV, very informative. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Andrea PringJanuary 21, 2011 at 10:54 AM

    Thank you for a very informative piece. We desperately need funding to enable the research to continue. Without funding 17 million people will remain desperately ill and possible contagious. Let the research continue!

    ReplyDelete
  3. JenniferSaake.blogspot.comJanuary 21, 2011 at 11:22 AM

    Thank you for helping the world know about XMRV and the need for funding. Please support WPI in their ME/CFS research. So thankful for the real hope they are offering us!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Lynn BousquetJanuary 21, 2011 at 12:22 PM

    Thank goodness for the WPI rearch finding the link between XMRV and ME/CFS. Thanks for the helpful blog.

    ReplyDelete
  5. CreekJanuary 21, 2011 at 2:21 PM

    The research published in Oct 2009 should some day be looked back on as the turning point in this disease with its decades of destruction in millions of lives. But that day when we look back and say: that's where the progress began towards a cure---that day is only going to come with a whole lot more research which means a whole lot more funding. This is infectious disease we're looking at. People have got to realize the lives they save may be their own or their loved ones', and contribute. Today.

    ReplyDelete
  6. UnknownJanuary 21, 2011 at 2:55 PM

    Thank you for taking your time and energy to bring light to this important public health issue.

    ReplyDelete
  7. theonlyfluffyoneJanuary 21, 2011 at 4:02 PM

    thank you for your blog, lots of great information, we need to help the WPI raise funds to carry on with the great work they are doing on XMRV....

    ReplyDelete
  8. KariJanuary 21, 2011 at 4:19 PM

    Thank you so much for spreading the word with you wonderful post!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Nicky ReissJanuary 22, 2011 at 1:08 AM

    And thank you for all your hard work with the ME/CFS Worldwide Alliance!

    ReplyDelete
  10. JoanneJanuary 24, 2011 at 3:50 AM

    Thank you for your excellent post.
    With the power of the Internet patients can no longer be kept in ignorance by our governments to suit their financial purpose.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Tina TidmoreJanuary 24, 2011 at 10:07 AM

    Thanks for commenting. More to come.

    ReplyDelete

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