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| education = [[University of Virginia]] ([[Bachelor of Science|BS]]) [[George Washington University]] ([[Doctor of Philosophy|PhD]]) |
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{{Alternative medical systems|fringe}} |
{{Alternative medical systems|fringe}} |
Revision as of 04:08, 16 May 2020
Judy Mikovits | |
---|---|
Born | Judy Anne Mikovits 1957 or 1958 (age 66)[1] |
Nationality | American |
Education | University of Virginia (BS) George Washington University (PhD) |
Occupation(s) | Former biochemistry research scientist (discredited),[2][3][4] author of conspiracy literature[5] |
Known for | Anti-vaccine activism, promotion of conspiracy theories, scientific misconduct[6][7][8][9] |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Virology |
Institutions | National Cancer Institute, Whittemore Peterson Institute |
This article is part of a series on |
Alternative medicine |
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Judy Anne Mikovits (c. 1958) is a former American research scientist[2][3][10][11][12] who is known for her discredited medical claims such as murine endogenous retroviruses being linked to chronic fatigue syndrome. She has been accused of anti-vaccination activism,[12][13] the promotion of conspiracy theories, and scientific misconduct.[6][7][8][9] She has made several false claims about vaccines, COVID-19, and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS).[14][10][11][15]
As research director of CFS research organization Whittemore Peterson Institute (WPI) from 2006 to 2011, Mikovits led an effort that reported in 2009 that a retrovirus known as xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus (XMRV) was associated with CFS and may have had a causal role. However, following widespread criticism,[6] the paper was retracted on December 22, 2011, by the journal Science.[8][16] In November 2011, she was arrested and held on charges that she stole lab notebooks and a computer from WPI, but she was released after five days and the charges were later dropped.[17]
In 2020, Mikovits promoted conspiracy theories about the COVID-19 pandemic via the internet video Plandemic,[10] which made claims that are either false, or not based on scientific evidence.[14][18][19]
Education and early career
In 1980, Mikovits received her BA degree[20] in chemistry from the University of Virginia. According to Mikovits, she went to Upjohn Pharmaceuticals in Kalamazoo, Michigan from 1986 to 1987 to serve as a laboratory technician and departed subsequent to a dispute with the company relating to their bovine growth hormone product.[2] In 1988, she worked as a laboratory technician at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in Frederick, Maryland under Francis Ruscetti, who later served as her PhD supervisor,[14][21] and in 1991[14] she received a PhD in biochemistry[2] from George Washington University.[20][22] Her PhD thesis was titled "Negative Regulation of HIV Expression in Monocytes."[14] Mikovits stated that she worked as postdoctoral researcher in the laboratory of David Derse from 1993 to 1994.[2] By 1996, Mikovits was employed as a scientist at Ruscetti’s Laboratory of Leukocyte Biology at the NCI.[23]
In May 2001, Mikovits left the NCI to work at EpiGenX Biosciences in Santa Barbara, CA, a drug-discovery company.[24][25] By late 2005, Mikovits was working as a bartender at the Pierpont Bay Yacht Club in Ventura, CA.[24][25] In 2006, she became the Research Director of the Whittemore Peterson Institute located in Las Vegas, NV. [24] After she published a paper in 2009, she became embroiled in controversy and was fired from the Whittemore Peterson Institute in 2011.[9]
XMRV and myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue
Harvey Whittemore and his wife, Annette, were frustrated by lack of answers for myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue (CFS) patients, including their daughter. In an effort to solve the CFS problem, they created the Whittemore Peterson Institute in 2005; Mikovits became the research director in 2006.[24] Attempts to find a viral cause of CFS were unsuccessful.[26]
In 2007, Mikovits met a co-discoverer of xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus (XMRV), Robert Silverman, at a conference. Silverman had found XMRV sequences, which are highly similar to mouse genomic sequences, in prostate cancer specimens several years earlier. Using tools obtained from Silverman, Mikovits began to look for XMRV in her CFS samples. In late 2008, a graduate student, who subsequently was hired as her technician, obtained two positive results from a group of twenty samples. He and Mikovits successively altered the experimental conditions until all samples gave a positive signal.[26]
In 2009, Mikovits and co-workers reported in the journal Science that they had detected XMRV DNA in CFS patients and control subjects.[26][27] Negative results were published soon after, disputing Mikovits's findings.[26][28] Silverman, who was a co-author of the original XMRV-CFS article, told the Chicago Tribune that he was "concerned about lab contamination, despite our best efforts to avoid it."[29]
Two of the original authors of this paper subsequently reanalyzed the samples used in the research and found that the samples were contaminated with XMRV plasmid DNA, leading them to publish a partial retraction of their original results.[9][21][30] In December 2011, after a request by first author Robert Silverman, the editors of Science retracted the paper in its entirety.[8][16]
Lo and Alter, in their 2010 paper titled "Detection of MLV-related virus gene sequences in blood of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome and healthy blood donors", stated "Although we find evidence of a broader group of MLV-related viruses, rather than just XMRV, in patients with CFS and healthy blood donors, our results clearly support the central argument by Lombardi et al. that MLV-related viruses are associated with CFS and are present in some blood donors." This paper was also later retracted by the authors.[31]
On September 29, 2011,[9] Mikovits was terminated by the WPI due to disputes over the control of lab samples and the integrity of her work; she subsequently came under investigation for alleged manipulation of data in her publications related to XMRV.[6][32][33] On November 18, 2011, she was arrested in her Ventura County, California, home and jailed for five days based on WPI's allegations that she stole lab notebooks, a computer, and other material.[3][34] She was held temporarily pursuant to that case,[35] and her lawyer said the charges had no merit.[35] By November 28, after negotiations with the WPI, some lab notes were returned.[36][dead link] Later, the criminal charges brought against Mikovits by Washoe County, Nevada, were dismissed by the District Attorney and Assistant District Attorney in Reno, Nevada.[37][38][39][40] The Washington Post later reported that the Whittemore family's legal troubles prevented the Washoe County from pursuing the case.[41] Harvey Whittemore was sent to prison in 2014 for violating campaign finance laws relating to U.S. Senator Harry Reid’s re-election bid in 2007. Prior to his release the family was sued by Bank of the West as a result of a transfer of their Lake Tahoe beachfront home to their children.[42]
Mikovits and collaborators went on to participate, alongside two other research groups, in a larger 2012 study with 147 CFS patients and 146 controls. The study concluded that there was no evidence of XMRV or MLV infection in either group, a result that Mikovits said was "the definitive answer" on the issue.[43][44]
Anti-vaccination activism and conspiracy theories
Mikovits has become a champion for believers in medical conspiracy theories, basing claims linking the XMRV to autism and cancer on other retracted papers, and claiming she had been jailed by the influence of the deep state and Big Pharma. This final claim refers to her arrest in 2011 for allegedly stealing materials from WPI.[4][17]
Mikovits has spoken at a number of anti-vaccination events.[10][45][46] She has claimed that retroviruses have contaminated 30 percent of vaccines.[15]
Mikovits has garnered criticism from scientists for stating that XMRV is a communicable infection which is "clearly circulating through the population, as is our fear and your fear". Virologist Vincent Racaniello said that Mikovits's assertion "is just inciting fear."[29][47] Mikovits showed slides at a conference linking XMRV to Parkinson's disease, autism, and multiple sclerosis. However, there is no published evidence that XMRV is associated with these diseases.[48][49][50][51]
Mikovits gained attention on social media for promoting her ideas about the COVID-19 pandemic. She does not believe that a vaccine is needed to prevent COVID-19, and claims that the coronavirus was "caused by a bad strain of flu vaccine that was circulating between 2013 and 2015". She also claimed masks will “activate” the virus and reinfect a mask-wearer over and over.[10]
One such circulating video gained notoriety in May 2020. Titled Plandemic Part 1, this film is a half-hour long documentary-styled interview of Mikovits's views on a variety of subjects.[11][52] YouTube removed this video from its website a number of times, citing its Community Guidelines.[53][54] It was later removed by Vimeo and Facebook for similar reasons.[5]
David Gorski reviewed the video for his blog and remarked that "the amount of nonsense, misinformation, disinformation, and conspiracy mongering in Mikovits’ response to questions is truly epic."[55] The video was fact-checked by the website Maldita.es, which rated the claims she made as either false, or not based on evidence.[56] The Republic World website also fact-checked her claim that the global health system uses vaccines as weapons to make profits, judging that the claim was false.[18] PolitiFact described the video as "a deep dive into conspiracy theories about COVID-19, public health and the pharmaceutical industry."[57]
When asked to comment on some of the allegations Mikovits makes against Anthony Fauci, the NIH and NIAID told NPR, "The National Institutes of Health and National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases are focused on critical research aimed at ending the COVID-19 pandemic and preventing further deaths. We are not engaging in tactics by some seeking to derail our efforts."[58]
Published books
- 2020. Heckenlively, Kent; Mikovits, Judy. Plague of Corruption: Restoring Faith in the Promise of Science. Skyhorse Publishing
- 2014. Mikovits, at al. Plague: One Scientist’s Intrepid Search for the Truth About Human Retroviruses and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), Autism, and Other Diseases. Skyhorse Publishing[59]
See also
References
- ^ Alba, Davey (2012-07-23). "Virus Conspiracists Elevate a New Champion". New York Times. Retrieved 2020-05-11.
- ^ a b c d e Judy Mikovits; Kent Heckenliverly (2019). Plague of Corruption. Skyhorse Publishing. pp. 128–130. ISBN 978-1510752245.
[1] Ms. Mikovits was awarded a PhD in biochemistry. [2] I have a PhD in biochemistry
- ^ a b c Cohen, Jon (December 2, 2011). "Dispute Over Lab Notebooks Lands Researcher in Jail". Science. 334 (6060): 1189–1190. Bibcode:2011Sci...334.1189C. doi:10.1126/science.334.6060.1189. PMID 22144589. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
- ^ a b Cohen, Jon (2012-06-13). "Criminal Charges Dropped Against Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Researcher Judy Mikovits". Science.
Last November, the district attorney in Washoe County, Nevada, filed a criminal complaint against Mikovits that charged the virologist with illegally stealing property from her former employer, the Whittemore Peterson Institute for Neuro-Immune Disease (WPI) in Reno, Nevada.
- ^ a b Andrews, Travis (May 7, 2020). "Facebook and other companies are removing viral 'Plandemic' conspiracy video". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2020-05-07.
{{cite news}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b c d Ledford, Heidi (2011-10-05). "Integrity issue follows fired researcher". Nature. doi:10.1038/news.2011.574. ISSN 0028-0836.
- ^ a b Flam, Faye (December 23, 2011). "Why Chronic Fatigue Study is Wrong, Maybe Fraudulent, but Biology Is Not a Hoax". Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
- ^ a b c d Cohen, Jon (22 December 2011). "In a Rare Move, Science Without Authors' Consent Retracts Paper That Tied Mouse Virus to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome". Science. Retrieved 22 December 2011.
- ^ a b c d e Cohen, Jon (October 4, 2011). "Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Researcher Fired Amidst New Controversy". Science. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
- ^ a b c Ohlheiser, Abby (2020-05-07). "How covid-19 conspiracy theorists are exploiting YouTube culture". MIT Technology Review. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
- ^ a b Lourgos, Angie Leventis (7 May 2020). "The viral video 'Plandemic' is the latest COVID-19 conspiracy theory. Here are 4 things to know about Judy Mikovits, the long-ago discredited researcher featured in the film". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2020-05-07.
- ^ Zadrozny, Brandy; Collins, Ben (7 May 2020). "As '#Plandemic' goes viral, those targeted by discredited scientist's crusade warn of 'dangerous' claims". NBC News. Retrieved 2020-05-07.
- ^ a b c d e Enserink, Martin; Cohen, Jon (8 May 2020). "Fact-checking Judy Mikovits, the controversial virologist attacking Anthony Fauci in a viral conspiracy video". Science | AAAS.
- ^ a b Neimark, Jill (2016-01-19). "Why bad science won't ever die". Quartz. Retrieved 2020-05-06.
- ^ a b Alberts, Bruce (2011-12-23). "Retraction". Science. 334 (6063): 1636. Bibcode:2011Sci...334.1636A. doi:10.1126/science.334.6063.1636-a. ISSN 0036-8075. PMID 22194552.
- ^ a b Kasprak, Alex (2020-05-06). "Was a Scientist Jailed After Discovering a Deadly Virus Delivered Through Vaccines?". Snopes. Retrieved 2020-05-07.
- ^ a b Sharma, Yashika (2020-05-07). "Fact Check: Is The 'Plandemic' Documentary True? Claims From The Video Debunked". Republic World. Retrieved 2020-05-07.
- ^ Lytvynenko, Jane (7 May 2020). "The "Plandemic" Video Has Exploded Online — And It Is Filled With Falsehoods". BuzzFeed News. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
- ^ a b "Judy A. Mikovits, PhD". Plague: The Book (author biography). 2017-09-04.
{{cite web}}
: Check|archiveurl=
value (help) - ^ a b Cohen J; Enserink M (September 23, 2011). "False Positive". Science. 333 (6050): 1694–1701. Bibcode:2011Sci...333.1694C. doi:10.1126/science.333.6050.1694. PMID 21940874. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
- ^ Dixon, D. (1998-10-26). "Judy A. Mikovits biography". National Cancer Institute. Archived from the original on 2010-05-27.
- ^ Division of Basic Sciences Annual Research Directory. National Cancer Institute Division of Basic Sciences. 1996. p. 90. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
- ^ a b c d Grady, Denise (2009-11-11). "A Big Splash From an Upstart Medical Center". The New York Times. Retrieved 2020-05-07.
- ^ a b Kisken, Tom (November 24, 2014). "World-known Oxnard researcher claims she was smeared, pushed out". Ventura County Star. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
- ^ a b c d Callaway, Ewen (14 March 2011). "Virology: Fighting for a cause". Nature. 471 (7338): 282–85. Bibcode:2011Natur.471..282C. doi:10.1038/471282a. PMID 21412308.
- ^ Lombardi VC, Ruscetti FW, Das Gupta J, et al. (October 2009). "Detection of an Infectious Retrovirus, XMRV, in Blood Cells of Patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome". Science. 326 (5952): 585–89. Bibcode:2009Sci...326..585L. doi:10.1126/science.1179052. PMC 3073172. PMID 19815723. (Retracted)
- ^ Sam Kean (15 Jan 2010). "An Indefatigable Debate Over Chronic Fatigue Syndrome". Science. 327 (5963): 254–55. Bibcode:2010Sci...327..254K. doi:10.1126/science.327.5963.254. PMID 20075217.
- ^ a b Tsouderos, Trine (2011-03-17). "Research casts doubt on theory of cause of chronic fatigue". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2020-05-07.
- ^ Silverman, R. H.; Das Gupta, J.; Lombardi, V. C.; Ruscetti, F. W.; Pfost, M. A.; Hagen, K. S.; Peterson, D. L.; Ruscetti, S. K.; Bagni, R. K.; Petrow-Sadowski, C.; Gold, B.; Dean, M.; Mikovits, J. A. (2011). "Partial Retraction". Science. 334 (6053): 176. Bibcode:2011Sci...334..176S. doi:10.1126/science.1212182. PMID 21940859.
- ^ Lo, S. -C.; Pripuzova, N.; Li, B.; Komaroff, A. L.; Hung, G. -C.; Wang, R.; Alter, H. J. (2010). "Detection of MLV-related virus gene sequences in blood of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome and healthy blood donors". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 107 (36): 15874–79. Bibcode:2010PNAS..10715874L. doi:10.1073/pnas.1006901107. PMC 2936598. PMID 20798047. (Retracted)
- ^ Rehmeyer, Julie (December 2, 2011). "Stolen Notebooks and a Biochemist in Chains". Slate. Retrieved 2020-05-07.
- ^ Tsouderos, Trine (October 3, 2011). "Manipulation alleged in paper linking virus, chronic fatigue syndrome". Chicago Tribune.
- ^ Tsouderos, Trine (2011-11-22). "Discredited chronic fatigue researcher in California jail". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2020-05-07.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b Cohen, Jon (2011-11-19). "Controversial CFS Researcher Arrested and Jailed". ScienceInsider. Archived from the original on 2011-12-01. Retrieved 2020-05-06.
- ^ Mullen, Frank X. Jr. (2011-11-28). "Missing notebooks returned to Reno chronic disease lab". Reno Gazette Journal. Retrieved 2011-11-29.
- ^ Gammick, Richard A.; Helzer, John W. (2012-06-11). "Notice of Dismissal [of charges against Judy Mikovits]" (PDF) (official court document). Justice Court of Reno Township, Washoe County, Nevada. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-04-25.
- ^ Cohen, Jon (2012-06-13). "June 13 Criminal Charges Dropped Against Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Researcher Judy Mikovits". Science. Retrieved 13 June 2012.
- ^ Tsouderos, Trine (2012-06-15). "Nevada drops charges against researcher Mikovits". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on 2012-06-19. Retrieved 15 June 2012.
- ^ Tuller, David (2012-06-14). "No Theft Charge for Chronic Fatigue Researcher". The New York Times. Retrieved 14 June 2011.
- ^ Shepherd, Katie (2020-05-08). "Who is Judy Mikovits in 'Plandemic,' the coronavirus conspiracy video just banned from social media?". Washington Post. Retrieved 2020-05-09.
- ^ McAndrew, Siobhan (2016-05-03). "New lawsuit goes after the Whittemore family's Lake Tahoe house". Reno Gazette Journal. Retrieved 2020-05-09.
- ^ Enserink, M. (20 September 2012). "New XMRV Studies Bring Closure–and Fresh Dispute". Science. 337 (6101): 1441–42. Bibcode:2012Sci...337.1441E. doi:10.1126/science.337.6101.1441. PMID 22997296.
- ^ Alter, H. J.; Mikovits, J. A.; Switzer, W. M.; Ruscetti, F. W.; Lo, S.-C.; Klimas, N.; Komaroff, A. L.; Montoya, J. G.; Bateman, L.; Levine, S.; Peterson, D.; Levin, B.; Hanson, M. R.; Genfi, A.; Bhat, M.; Zheng, H.; Wang, R.; Li, B.; Hung, G.-C.; Lee, L. L.; Sameroff, S.; Heneine, W.; Coffin, J.; Hornig, M.; Lipkin, W. I. (18 September 2012). "A Multicenter Blinded Analysis Indicates No Association between Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis and either Xenotropic Murine Leukemia Virus-Related Virus or Polytropic Murine Leukemia Virus". mBio. 3 (5): e00266. doi:10.1128/mBio.00266-12. PMC 3448165. PMID 22991430.
- ^ Kisken, Tom (2019-07-05). "New group of Ventura County vaccine skeptics take shots at exemption bill". Ventura County Star. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
- ^ Swenson, Ali (24 September 2019). "Phoenix 'Vaccine Education Summit' Promises Anti-Vax Propaganda". Phoenix New Times. Retrieved 2020-05-07.
- ^ Powers, Lenita (2010-01-13). "Reno researchers dispute British challenge to virus discovery". Reno Gazette-Journal. Retrieved 2020-05-06.
- ^ Satterfield BC, Garcia RA, Gurrieri F, Schwartz CE (2010). "PCR and serology find no association between xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus (XMRV) and autism". Molecular Autism. 1 (1): 14. doi:10.1186/2040-2392-1-14. PMC 2964727. PMID 20946639.
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI (link) - ^ Luczkowiak, J; Sierra, O; González-Martín, JJ; Herrero-Beaumont, G; Delgado, R (2011). "No xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus detected in fibromyalgia patients". Emerging Infectious Diseases. 17 (2): 314–15. doi:10.3201/eid1702.100978. PMC 3204766. PMID 21291619.
- ^ Digard, P.; Strohschein, O.; Brandt, K.; Seeher, A. U.; Klein, S.; Kurth, S.; Paul, R.; Meisel, F.; Scheibenbogen, C.; Bannert, N. (2010). Digard, Paul (ed.). "No Evidence for XMRV in German CFS and MS Patients with Fatigue Despite the Ability of the Virus to Infect Human Blood Cells in Vitro". PLOS One. 5 (12): e15632. Bibcode:2010PLoSO...515632H. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0015632. PMC 3008728. PMID 21203514.
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI (link) - ^ Jeziorski, E.; Foulongne, V.; Ludwig, C.; Louhaem, D.; Chiocchia, G.; Segondy, M.; Rodière, M.; Sitbon, M.; Courgnaud, V. R. (2010). "No evidence for XMRV association in pediatric idiopathic diseases in France". Retrovirology. 7: 63. doi:10.1186/1742-4690-7-63. PMC 2920251. PMID 20678193.
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI (link) - ^ Hatmaker, Taylor (7 May 2020). "Platforms scramble as 'Plandemic' conspiracy video spreads misinformation like wildfire". TechCrunch. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
- ^ McBride, Jessica (2020-05-06). "Plandemic Movie Video Removed by YouTube: WATCH". Heavy.com. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
- ^ Herbert, Geoff (7 May 2020). "YouTube removes 'Plandemic' video with coronavirus claims by Dr. Judy Mikovits". Syracuse.com. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
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- ^ "¿Qué sabemos acerca del vídeo de la supuesta viróloga Judy Mikovits sobre el coronavirus?" [What do we know about the video of the alleged virologist Judy Mikovits on the coronavirus?]. es:maldita.es (in Spanish). May 2, 2020.
- ^ Funke, Daniel (7 May 2020). "Fact-checking 'Plandemic': A documentary full of false conspiracy theories about the coronavirus". PolitiFact. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
- ^ "Seen 'Plandemic'? We Take A Close Look At The Viral Conspiracy Video's Claims". NPR.org. Retrieved 2020-05-08.
- ^ "YouTube removes 'Plandemic' video with coronavirus claims by Dr. Judy Mikovits". Syracuse Post-Standard. 2020-05-07. Retrieved 2020-05-11.