What is Neuro-Immune Disease?

Neuro-Immune Diseas e

The term neuro-immune disease refers to a group of complex mul -symptom diseases characterized by acquired dysregula on of both the immune system and the nervous system. These diseases most o en follow an infec ous or flu-like illness which does not fully resolve and may result in life long disease and disability. Included in this defini on are similarly presen ng illnesses such as myalgic encephalomyeli s (ME), chronic fa gue syndrome (CFS), fibromyalgia, post Lyme disease, Gulf War illness (GWI) and cases of au sm spectrum disorder. Neurological: •Cogni ve impairment •Disordered sleep •Perceptual and sensory disturbances •Postural orthosta c tachycardia syndrome (POTS) •Ataxia •Severe headaches •Mental fa gue •Seizures Immunological: •Abnormal NK cell number and/or func on •Inflammatory cytokine profile indica ng abnormal levels of inflamma on

InfecƟous Signs and Symptoms: •Swollen and tender lymph nodes •Sore throat •Night sweats •Recurrent flu-like symptoms •Abdominal pain and nausea •Weakness and extreme malaise •Painful muscles, joints, and nerves •Chronic and/or recurring infec ons •New onset or increased severity of allergies •Post exer onal malaise or exercise intolerance (ME and CFS) •Loss of previous levels of physical and mental func oning •Worsening of symptoms with stress

Turning Today’s Discoveries Into Tomorrow’s Cures An ExciƟng Discovery of XMRV in Neuro-Immune Disease WPI researchers led a team of prominent scien sts to the discovery of the associa on of the third human retrovirus, XMRV, in pa ents with CFS. It has also been linked to ME and CFS by researchers at the NCI, Cleveland Clinic, FDA, and NIH. XMRV is the most recently discovered human gamma retrovirus found to be infec ons and transmissible in humans. Retroviruses like XMRV and HIV cause a persistent infec on by integra ng into the host’s DNA. The discovery of this human gamma retrovirus may have far-reaching implica ons for human health. It provides new opportuni es for understanding underlying causes of disease, the development of more effec ve treatments, and the crea on of preven on strategies in any number of infec ous diseases which have no known cause. WhiƩemore Peterson InsƟtute 1664 N Virginia • MS 0552 Reno, NV 89557 P (775) 682-8250 • F (775) 682-8258 info@wpins tute.org wpins tute.org

Who Does Neuro-Immune Disease Impact • Anyone can become ill with a neuro-immune disease • 1 in 300 suffers from ME/CFS • 1 in 150 suffers from fibromyaligia • 1 in 110 children are in the au sm spectrum • Lyme disease is a fast growing epidemic (many sufferers develop a chronic illness) • Hundreds of thousands of armed services members have GWI

Current Research Projects •New Strategies to Decipher the Pathophysiology of CFS •Collec on of standard panel for determinaiton of XMRV prevelence in blood donors •Detec on of Xenotropic Murine Leukemia Virus Related Virus in Gulf War Illness (GWI) •Evaluta on of Hemispherx Ampligen Pa ents for XMRV Markers •Evalua on of the Presence of XMRV and/or MLV-Related Viruses in Blood Samples of Chronically Transfused Thalassemia and Sickle Cell Pa ents •Retrovirus Epidemiology Donor Study-II (REDS-II) •Lipkon StudyMul -Center Blinded Analysis of XMRV/ MLV in Chronic Fa gue Syndrome

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