Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Support Group

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) describes a sense of exhaustion and post-exertion malaise, even when you have gotten enough rest and sleep. The disease is characterized by six months of incapacitating fatigue experienced as profound exhaustion and extremely poor stamina, and problems with concentration and short-term memory. The cause is unknown, but it is a...

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RichieD 10/04/2011

It's being reported that Judy Mikovits has been let go by WPI due to a dispute over access to research materials at the Institute. Also there have been allegations of data manipulation made against her.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-chronic-fatigue-syndrome-paper-10032011,0,7328652.story

DarlaC 10/04/2011

Oh no!

This puts the doctor, her associates, and the WPI in a very, very bad light as far as any research AT ALL that comes from that place.

This is incredibly disheartening.

Ali5tair 10/04/2011

Gota wait till its confiirmed from a credible source, ie WPI

Ali5tair 10/04/2011

http://blogs.wsj.com/health/2011/10/03/scientist-who-led-xmrv-research-team-let-go/

DarlaC 10/04/2011

Then it's confirmed, right, Al???

RichieD 10/04/2011

It certainly is discouraging news. But keep in mind that science can proceed peacefully or in a series of tumultuous storms. The image people have of scientists hiding in their labs and working day and night like monks is totally false.

Science and politics go together, they always have. There are personal feuds, diabolical manipulations, all kinds of squabbling and scheming...it's always been that way and it probably always will be.

The question as to what if any role XMRV and related viruses play in human disease is still not settled. After all, these new retroviruses have only recently been discovered. There are still chapters in this book yet to be written.

DarlaC 10/04/2011

That would be you, Richie...always cultivating hope!!

Thanks!!

deleted_user 10/04/2011

i live in the area. i believe the place is closed.

deleted_user 10/04/2011

What place is closed? WPI?

This is my worst nightmare come true. I wonder how disrupting this will be for the NIH study.

deleted_user 10/04/2011

Rich makes a very good point. I know that some scientists including doctors and suregeons sometimes 'josh' the statistics to justify their funding, methods, even their careers. A very good friend of mine who works in PR for pharmaceuticals says that a bit of scientific 'spin' is the norm rather than the exception. What is exceptional though is to present results that are knowingly false. It's astonishing although we don't know all of the details, I just can't understand that decision. Hopefully it will generate some publicity anyhow - some of it might even end up being good publicity for the interests of ME sufferers.

RichieD 10/05/2011

The journal Science, where the original XMRV/CFS study was published, is currently investigating the allegations against Dr. Mikovits. I don't think we should presume she is guilty.

And since WPI is now engaged in a competition with Dr. Mikovits to see who gets the NIH funding for the research projects that were under her supervision, it seems highly unlikely that a new laboratory like WPI would be shutting down with no public notice.

Certainly this is all very disturbing news, but things like this happen all the time in science. Things will get sorted out before long, let's not jump to conclusions before all the facts are fully known.

I've seen blatant examples of plagiarism at research facilities, yet things kept right on...and the grant money kept right on flowing. Sometimes it seemed like the labs with the worst reputations got the most money...lol.

RichieD 10/05/2011

Here's another article that gets into more of the details of this unfortunate situation.

http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2011/10/xmrv-researcher-fired.html

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