Cure 4 ME

Cure 4 ME Bulletin
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Frankie Vigil
R&R Partners for
Whittemore Peterson Institute
775-336-4555 775-336-4555
frankie.vigil@rrpartners.com

Whittemore Peterson Institute Announces Availability of Updated XMRV Testing
Reno, Nev. - In October 2009, together with the Cleveland Clinic and National Cancer Institute,
the Whittemore Peterson Institute published findings in Science regarding the discovery of
XMRV in the blood of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) patients. The testing method, validated
in multiple other labs using positive control samples, uses a unique process that was extensively
peer reviewed before publication and provides the most accurate results available.
This virus culture test is the same method used in the Science publication, and the only
scientifically validated methodology to find XMRV. Some labs, including the recent study
published in the U.K., have used non-validated PCR and whole blood PCR assays. At this time
no single PCR or whole blood assay alone has been validated as accurately detecting XMRV,
and is therefore not an appropriate way to study or diagnose the presence of the virus.
WPI has licensed the latest version of the test to Viral Immune Pathways Diagnostic
Laboratories (VIP Dx) in Reno, Nev. The non-exclusive license allows patients and their doctors
access to a reliable diagnostic tool. The newly refined test uses a virus culture methodology that
yields more reliable results in one test at a lower cost to patients.
“Our mission at WPI is to discover bio markers of disease and translate those discoveries into
accurate diagnostics and effective treatments for patients,” said WPI Founder and President
Annette Whittemore. “We continue to talk to other clinical laboratory companies, both nationally
and internationally, in order to make the test available to a wider audience.”
WPI Research Scientist and co-author of the Science paper, Dr. Vincent Lombardi, is providing
technical assistance and oversight of the VIP Dx testing. In exchange for the non-exclusive
license, VIP Dx will pay a royalty to WPI for each test it conducts.
Continued
“We structured the licensing contract to be sure that any and all profits that might emerge at VIP
Dx from XMRV testing come directly back to WPI to benefit the research program” said
Whittemore.
Dr. Lombardi is an employee of WPI, and has no personal financial interest in VIP Dx.
Likewise, the Whittemore family put their interest in VIP Dx into a trust to benefit WPI.
The availability of these tests has a dramatic impact to the CFS/ME community. These tests
allow licensed laboratories to begin answering important questions about XMRV’s incidence in
disease and prevalence in the world. WPI hopes that this will generate further research related to
XMRV. "The institutes’ driving goal continues to be the translation of research to meaningful
results for patients, explained Whittemore.
It is still unknown exactly how XMRV impacts humans. Scientists who understand the potential
ramifications of human infection with retroviruses take the study of XMRV seriously. WPI
researchers along with many other scientists around the world are actively engaged in advancing
research in this field.
Whittemore Peterson Institute
The Whittemore Peterson Institute for Neuro-Immune Disease exists to bring discovery, knowledge,
and effective treatments to patients with illnesses that are caused by acquired dysregulation of the
immune system and the nervous system, often results in lifelong disease and disability. The WPI is
the first institute in the world dedicated to X associated neuro-immune disease (XAND), and other X
associated diseases, integrating patient treatment, basic and clinical research and medical
education.