NEWS RELEASE
National CFIDS Foundation Medical Committee
©2007

In an unexpected turn of events, the Homeland Security Initiative Office of Military and Security Programs at Penn State has issued an important statement about Parainfluenza Virus-5 (PIV-5).

    In their release, researchers at Penn State have identified a new strategy to control viral infection. According to the information on the Homeland Security Initiative website, the field of invention is Anti-viral Therapy, Homeland Security and Biodefense.

     Quoting the website "Parainfluenza virus 5 (PIV5), formerly known as simian virus 5 (SV5) is a prototypical member of the Rubulavirus genus of the family Paramyxoviridae. The Penn State researchers have identified a host protein that is critical to PIV5 replication. Furthermore, the Penn State researchers have identified several lead compounds that block PIV5 replication at low concentration without causing cytopathic effect (CPE). They have further demonstrated that these compounds inhibit the replication of other negative stranded RNA viruses including but not limited to hRSV, MeV and VSV (the best compound can inhibit at least 99.9% viral replication in tissue culture cells, i.e., about 1,000-fold reduction of viral replication). Further testing of these compounds in tissue cultutre cells has demonstrated that they are effective against replication of Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus (BVDV), a major bovine pathogen as well as a model system for human hepatitis C virus (HCV)."  According to the website, this technology is available for licensing.

    According to the NCF, this techology could change the nature of this disease overnight if the right types of drugs or compounds are currently available. If not, there may be drugs on the horizon that would greatly help patients fight this infection. This discovery could be critically important to millions of CFIDS/ME, Multiple Sclerosis and Epilepsy patients in accordance with previous research findings. There is a great deal at stake here and the NCF hopes that information regarding the host protein as well as identified compounds are made openly available. We wonder however if this will truly be the case due to the heading of Homeland Security? The NCF has taken the initiative to contact the Homeland Security office for additional information. Furthermore, the NCF had previously contacted the principal investigators involved here regarding the CFIDS/ME connection to PIV-5 to discuss additional information as well as to express our interest in funding future scientific research. 

[Ed. Note: This information can be found online at http://homelandsecurity.psu.edu/discovery/licensing/viral_infection.html and, in case it "disappears" from the Penn State website, it is available in the pdf file below. 

Penn State is one of the leading research universities in the U.S.  This information was brought to our attention by a member of the NCF from Ireland who contacted them for further information which was not given.  Members of our board noted that when CFIDS/ME was first found in this country and identified as Chronic Epstein-Barr Virus (CEBV), it was put under the Department of Defense (DOD).  Although advocates questioned why, there was never a response. 

Finding an actual therapy has been discovered but not allowed to help the millions suffering worldwide just leads to more conspiracy theories.  How many on our Memorial List have died needlessly too young after suffering for far too long?  Do your Congressional Representatives know about this?  A Senate investigation may be in order. While this was going on, the CDC Media Relations issued a press release saying "People who suffer from chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) have a genetic make up that affects the body's ability to adapt to change...CDC is promoting CFS awareness through a national media and education campaign."]