Whittemore Peterson Institute
President | Annette Whittmore | |
Research director | Vincent Lombardi | |
---|---|---|
Subsidiaries | WP Biotechnologies[2] | |
Revenue (2018) | $562,771[2] | |
Expenses (2018) | $495,744[2] | |
Employees (2018) | 6[2] | |
Volunteers (2018) | 15[2] | |
Website | www |
Whittemore Peterson Institute (WPI) is a
Whittemore Peterson Institute is a research institute and charitable foundation[6] known for its claims[7] that the retrovirus xenotropic murine leukemia virus–related virus (XMRV) is associated with and may cause CFS and a variety of additional diseases. A report by WPI scientists of an association between CFS and XMRV[8][9][10] was forcibly retracted by the journal Science[11] when the results could not be replicated,[12][13][14][15] and it was discovered that XMRV was a laboratory-created recombinant of two mouse viruses.[7][16][17][18] Amid allegations of sloppiness and scientific misconduct,[19] WPI personnel criticised the methods and motives of other scientists, implying that the negative results were part of a "cover-up" or a "bias against this disease (CFS)".[20][21]
WPI was created by the parents of a CFS patient, Annette and Harvey Whittemore,[22] and by Daniel Peterson, an early researcher of the illness.[23] Peterson left WPI in 2010 due to concerns related to the XMRV research.[20] The institute is affiliated with the University of Nevada, Reno.[24] Judy Mikovits joined as research director in 2006,[22] but was terminated by WPI in October 2011 for not turning her work over to another scientist[25] while also coming under investigation for alleged manipulation of data in her publications related to XMRV.[26] WPI moved to the newly constructed Center for Molecular Medicine in August 2010.[27]
History
Annette Whittemore, co-founder and president of the institute, stated that the inspiration for the institute came from her daughter, Andrea Whittemore-Goad,
The Whittemores and Peterson established the Whittemore Peterson Institute in 2005. Research began in 2006 with the opening of a small laboratory and an office on the University of Nevada, Reno campus under the direction of Judy Mikovits.
Organization and mission
Annette Whittemore serves as president and Institute Administrator of the WPI. Vincent Lombardi, first author of the 2009 Science paper, was appointed as Research Director in March 2011.[32] Lombardi, a biochemist,[10][33] along with Harvey Whittemore, co-founded RedLabs USA, Inc., now Viral Immune Pathology Diagnostics (VIP Dx). Virologist Judy Mikovits was the previous research director. Her employment was terminated in October 2011.[21] The Institute has stated that their research unit is composed of scientists from the National Cancer Institute, the National Institute of Aging, the La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology, and Kings College, UK.[34]
The WPI's stated mission is to "bring discovery, knowledge, and effective treatments to patients with illnesses that are caused by acquired dysregulation of both the immune system and the nervous system, often resulting in life long disease and disability."
Funding and support
Initial funding for the institute was provided by the Whittemores,[30] who in 2004 committed $5 million, successfully lobbied the Nevada legislature for support and arranged an affiliation with their alma mater, the University of Nevada, Reno. The Nevada legislature agreed to provide $3 million,[37] and additional funding was from private donations.[22] $10 million was secured from the governor and legislature by the University of Nevada School of Medicine and the WPI for the Center for Molecular Medicine, where WPI would share space.[22][38] Nevada senators John Ensign[39] and Harry Reid[40][41] separately introduced legislation requesting federal funding for the institute.
Supplemental funding for WPI came from the sale of XMRV diagnostic tests by Viral Immune Pathology Diagnostics (VIP Dx), owned by the Whittemore family, with all net proceeds donated to the WPI.
Contradictory results and controversy
Background
Judy Mikovits was introduced to Annette Whittemore at an
Science publication and response
In 2009, Lombardi et al. reported in the journal Science that they had detected XMRV
In September 2011, the original authors published a "Partial Retraction" of their 2009 findings, in which they acknowledged that "some of the CFS peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) DNA preparations are contaminated with XMRV plasmid DNA."[52] In December 2011, Science retracted the 2009 paper.[53]
Negative results
The first follow-up study was published in
WPI has been included in a multi-center trial, led by Ian Lipkin, that is intended to settle the XMRV-CFS question conclusively.[69] Samples from 150 CFS patients and 150 healthy but comparable donors are to be tested at WPI, the NIH, and the CDC.[20] In the preliminary phase of this project, published in Science in January 2011, four patients initially tested positive at WPI and the CDC, but no XMRV was detected at NCI and no patient was positive after repeated testing.[70]
Contamination
Some researchers were concerned about contamination from the first reports of XMRV-disease associations, and these concerns spread as study after study failed to replicate WPI's results.
Controversial statements and criticism
The Whittemore Peterson Institute and its employees have issued statements that have generated additional controversy. Some of these statements have been made to the press, while others are made in presentations to patient groups. Although there is no consensus that XMRV is a human pathogen or even associated with any disease, Mikovits has stated her opinion that the virus "undoubtedly causes some of the symptoms that are associated with" CFS.[77] Elsewhere, however, she notes that causation has not been proven.[78][79] According to Mikovits, XMRV "is clearly circulating through the population as is our fear and your fear"[21] and has entered the US blood supply. She has also associated XMRV not only with CFS, but also with autism, Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis, and other diseases.[21] There is no evidence that XMRV is associated with these diseases: all studies that have looked for a connection have produced negative results.[80][81][82][83][84] Virologist Vincent Racaniello has accused Mikovits of "inciting fear".[21]
In response to the contradictory British results, Mikovits stated that scientists had doctored their studies to reach a predetermined conclusion as part of an insurance company conspiracy.[9] Annette Whittemore expressed the opinion that the response to her organization's claims was political, while the director of clinical services, Deckoff-Jones, characterized the negative research findings as a "cover-up and baseless attacks against Dr. Mikovits".[21] Mikovits stated that those who reported negative findings did not "believe" in chronic fatigue syndrome and sought to discredit the disorder itself.[20] Critics disputed these charges.[20] A March 2011 editorial in the journal Nature praised Mikovits's defense of her work, but also asked her and her critics to keep an open mind and to be motivated by patients without allowing their scientific programme to be influenced by patients' beliefs.[49]
WPI has also generated criticism for statements defending the use of antiretroviral medications as a treatment for CFS.[21] For some individuals, these medications can have substantial side effects. Jay Levy states that taking anti-HIV medications is "not like taking an aspirin".[21] There is currently no consensus that XMRV is capable of infecting humans, much less causing disease; the rush to prescribe antiretrovirals has been described as premature and based on "an unproven hypothesis".[49] Another criticism is that even if XMRV did cause CFS and antiviral medications were effective against the virus, rigorous trials would be needed to establish safety, efficacy, and optimal dosing. Anecdotal treatments, they say, are unhelpful and possibly harmful to "the million or more individuals experiencing these serious conditions".[85]
The editors at Science in May 2011 requested that the authors of the 2009 Lombardi et al. study retract the article due to many independent studies that did not find an association of XMRV with CFS, and studies that have presented data showing contaminated laboratory reagents may have led to false positive results. Science reported that Mikovits declined the request on behalf of the original authors, labeled the request "premature", and asserted that the original study results were accurate.[86] The editor-in-chief of the journal Science subsequently published an expression of concern, "Because the validity of the study by Lombardi et al. is now seriously in question".[87] In December 2011, Science retracted the 2009 paper.[53]
XMRV testing
WPI was criticized for offering non-FDA-approved[85] XMRV testing through its subsidiary, Viral Immune Pathology Diagnostics (VIP Dx), which was founded by WPI's Vincent Lombardi and was headed by Harvey Whittemore. The tests, which over 1,000 patients purchased, cost $249 to $450.[21] Virologist John Coffin observed that the original paper established the virus neither as a cause of CFS nor as a viable marker; in a Science news article, Sam Kean notes that the utility of the test for a patient or a physician is unclear. VIP Dx asserted that it introduced its XMRV test as a more expert alternative after a different company began offering one.[8] Lombardi argued that the test is useful and that their 36% positive test results support the science in the original paper.[8]
Blood supply safety
Mikovits has stated that XMRV has "almost certainly entered the U.S. blood supply system, but did not know whether it would be susceptible to the same heat treatments that successfully kill off the
References
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- ^ a b c d e "Form 990: Return of Organization Exempt Income Tax". Whittemore Peterson Institute. Internal Revenue Service. December 31, 2018.
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