StateÕs new reputation

Recent developments have swept away the once-common notion that Nevada is not a player in the fields of science and medical research.

The latest development was profiled last week in Science, a prestigious weekly journal. A peer-reviewed article focused on a breakthrough of international importance by the Whittemore Peterson Institute.

The institute, founded in 2006 by casino lobbyist and real estate developer Harvey Whittemore and his wife, Annette, is based at the University of Nevada, Reno. The Science article focused on a discovery made by the instituteÕs researchers that could lead to greater understanding of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome,

This is a condition that causes extreme tiredness for months at a time as well as other debilitating problems, such as severe head and muscle aches and joint pain.

Studying this syndrome in collaboration with scientists from the National Cancer Institute and the Cleveland Clinic, the instituteÕs researchers discovered that a large majority of people diagnosed with that and similar diseases carry a recently discovered retrovirus, called XMRV, in their blood.

Retroviruses invade cells, change their genetic makeup and sometimes cause latent viruses to activate. They are thought to be factors in prostate cancer, leukemia and immune deficiencies such as HIV.

Writing about the breakthrough discovery, Las Vegas Sun reporter Marshall Allen said it might change the worldÕs view of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Doubt has often been expressed about the disease because its cause has long mystified doctors and scientists.

The discovery does not mean that a cure is at hand, but it does give researchers worldwide new avenues for study — not only of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome but of other diseases, including cancer.

The Whittemore Peterson Institute is among the facilities generating respect for Nevada in medical circles. Outstanding other examples include the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health and the Nevada Cancer Institute, whose president of research, Giuseppe Pizzorno, set the right tone for the future in this comment to Allen: ÒWith the right people, instruments and support, we can do world-class research.Ó