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→‎Lupron: New subsection header. Cite Mills & Jones 2009 on Abbott Laboratories.
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In 2006, the Geiers published in ''Hormone Research''<ref name=PMID16825783>{{cite journal |author=Geier DA, Geier MR |title=A clinical and laboratory evaluation of methionine cycle-transsulfuration and androgen pathway markers in children with autistic disorders |journal=Horm. Res. |volume=66 |issue=4 |pages=182–8 |year=2006 |pmid=16825783 |doi=10.1159/000094467}}</ref> data suggesting a cyclical interaction between the methionine cycle-transsulfuration and androgen pathways in children with autistic disorders.
In 2006, the Geiers published in ''Hormone Research''<ref name=PMID16825783>{{cite journal |author=Geier DA, Geier MR |title=A clinical and laboratory evaluation of methionine cycle-transsulfuration and androgen pathway markers in children with autistic disorders |journal=Horm. Res. |volume=66 |issue=4 |pages=182–8 |year=2006 |pmid=16825783 |doi=10.1159/000094467}}</ref> data suggesting a cyclical interaction between the methionine cycle-transsulfuration and androgen pathways in children with autistic disorders.


===Lupron===
Mark Geier and David Geier have filed three U.S. [[patent application]]s on the use of the drug [[Lupron]] in combination with [[chelation therapy]] as a treatment protocol for [[autism]] based on the hypothesis that "[[testosterone]] mercury" along with low levels of [[glutathione]] blocks the conversion of [[Dehydroepiandrosterone|DHEA]] to DHEA-S and therefore raises [[androgens]] which in turn further lower glutathione levels. The thought is that this ultimately provides a connection between autism, mercury exposure, and [[hyperandrogenicity]], specifically [[precocious puberty]].<ref> "[http://appft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PG01&s1=geier.IN.&s2=autism.AB.&OS=IN/geier+AND+ABST/autism&RS=IN/geier+AND+ABST/autism Methods of treating autism and autism spectrum disorders]" US [[Patent application]] 20070254314, November 1, 2007 </ref><ref name="p1"> "[http://appft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=2&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PG01&s1=geier.IN.&s2=autism.AB.&OS=IN/geier+AND+ABST/autism&RS=IN/geier+AND+ABST/autism Methods for screening, studying, and treating dissorders with a component of mercurial toxicity]" US [[Patent application]]20060058271, March 16, 2006 </ref><ref name="p2"> "[http://appft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=3&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PG01&s1=geier.IN.&s2=autism.AB.&OS=IN/geier+AND+ABST/autism&RS=IN/geier+AND+ABST/autism Methods of treating disorders having a component of mercury toxicity ]" US [[Patent application]] 20060058241, March 16, 2006 </ref>
Mark Geier and David Geier have filed three U.S. [[patent application]]s on the use of the drug [[Lupron]] in combination with [[chelation therapy]] as a treatment protocol for [[autism]] based on the hypothesis that "[[testosterone]] mercury" along with low levels of [[glutathione]] blocks the conversion of [[Dehydroepiandrosterone|DHEA]] to DHEA-S and therefore raises [[androgens]] which in turn further lower glutathione levels. The thought is that this ultimately provides a connection between autism, mercury exposure, and [[hyperandrogenicity]], specifically [[precocious puberty]].<ref> "[http://appft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PG01&s1=geier.IN.&s2=autism.AB.&OS=IN/geier+AND+ABST/autism&RS=IN/geier+AND+ABST/autism Methods of treating autism and autism spectrum disorders]" US [[Patent application]] 20070254314, November 1, 2007 </ref><ref name="p1"> "[http://appft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=2&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PG01&s1=geier.IN.&s2=autism.AB.&OS=IN/geier+AND+ABST/autism&RS=IN/geier+AND+ABST/autism Methods for screening, studying, and treating dissorders with a component of mercurial toxicity]" US [[Patent application]]20060058271, March 16, 2006 </ref><ref name="p2"> "[http://appft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=3&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PG01&s1=geier.IN.&s2=autism.AB.&OS=IN/geier+AND+ABST/autism&RS=IN/geier+AND+ABST/autism Methods of treating disorders having a component of mercury toxicity ]" US [[Patent application]] 20060058241, March 16, 2006 </ref>

Although [[Abbott Laboratories]] sells Lupron in the U.S. and cooperated with the Geiers in one of the patent applications, it is no longer pursuing work with them, citing the nonexistence of scientific evidence to justify further research.<ref>{{cite news |title= Physician team's crusade shows cracks |author= Mills S, Jones T |work= Chicago Tribune |date=2009-05-21 |url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/health/chi-autism-lupron-geiers-may21,0,983359.story |accessdate=2009-05-21}}</ref>


==Criticism==
==Criticism==

Revision as of 20:31, 21 May 2009

Mark R. Geier (born 1948, Washington, D.C.) is a self-employed United States geneticist[1] and professional witness who has testified in more than 90 cases regarding injury or illness caused by vaccines.[2]

He is a medical doctor with a Ph.D. in genetics based in Silver Spring, Maryland.[citation needed] He he is board certified by the American Board of Medical Genetics and is a fellow of the American College of Epidemiology.[citation needed] He was a researcher at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for 10 years, and previously was a professor at Johns Hopkins University.[citation needed] He has studied the subject of vaccines for more than 30 years and has published over 50 peer-reviewed papers on vaccine safety, efficacy, contamination and policy. He has authored over 100 publications and has made several presentations to the Institute of Medicine (IOM) on the adverse effects of vaccinations.[citation needed] He and his son, David Geier, have been permitted to study the Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD) database of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in their capacity as witnesses for plaintiffs in litigation.[citation needed]

Geier is the subject of criticism, including his credibility as an expert witness and allegations of ethics violations and plagiarism. In January 2007, a paper by the Geiers was retracted by the journal Autoimmunity Reviews.[1]

Career

Geier was a lab assistant at the National Institutes of Health in the 1970s.[2] He has been examining vaccine safety issues since then.[2] He is a self-employed geneticist and along with his son David Geier he operates several organizations from his private address in Maryland, including the Institute for Chronic Illness and the Genetic Centers of America.[1] As a professional witness he has testified in more than 90 vaccine cases, in support of the view that there is a clear link between thiomersal and autism, and that public health officials are "just trying to cover it up".[2]

Publications

In 1970, while at the National Institutes of Health, Dr. Geier co-authored a paper, published in Nature, reporting the first successful genetic engineering experiment in which bacteriophage Lambda carrying the galactose operon was used to correct the inability of cells in tissue culture from a patient with galactosemia to metabolise the milk sugar galactose.[3] According to Geier's attorney, this work received world-wide acclaim in the scientific press and in the news media and resulted in a personal call of congratulation from then President Richard Nixon.[4]

In 1973, Geier authored another paper in Nature which reported the spleen, previously thought of as mostly vestigial in humans, in fact played a critical role in immunity by maintaining intact antigen, thus allowing for a more robust immune response which was especially important to the vaccination process.[5] Geier was a co-author on a paper in the New England Journal of Medicine which further discussed and extended the observations on the critical role that the spleen plays in response to vaccines and other immune challenges.[6]

In 1978, Geier published the study "Endotoxins in commercial vaccine" in Applied and Environmental Microbiology, which found high levels of endotoxin in commercial vaccines, especially in whole cell diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis DPT vaccine.[7]

Geier cowrote the article, "The true story of pertussis vaccination: a sordid legacy?",[8] which won the 2003 Stanley Jackson award for papers published in the Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences.[9]

Geier has published several speculative articles with his son David Geier, suggesting a relation between mercury exposure during infancy and the onset of neurodevelopmental disorders.[10]

Controversial studies

Geier and his son have published several speculative articles about a possible link between autism spectrum disorders and TCVs,[10] generating some controversy.[11] The American Academy of Pediatrics dispute the conclusion of the Geiers' paper claiming a correlation between thimerosal and autism, and criticized it for "numerous conceptual and scientific flaws, omissions of fact, inaccuracies, and misstatements".[12]

The Geiers have been granted access to the Vaccine Safety Datalink records,[13] but the National Immunization Program found that "during the first visit the researchers conducted unapproved analysis on their datasets and on the second visit attempted to carry out unapproved analyses but did not complete this attempt. This analysis, had it been completed, could have increased the risk of a confidentiality breach. Before leaving, the researchers renamed files for removal which were not allowed to be removed. Had it gone undetected, this would have constituted a breach of the rules about confidentiality."[13] The Geiers were coauthors of a paper based on the VSD records which reported an increased risk of autism and other disorders following exposure to thiomersal-containing vaccines.[14]

Clinical studies on the role of mercury and androgens in autism

In 2006, the Geiers published in Hormone Research[15] data suggesting a cyclical interaction between the methionine cycle-transsulfuration and androgen pathways in children with autistic disorders.

Lupron

Mark Geier and David Geier have filed three U.S. patent applications on the use of the drug Lupron in combination with chelation therapy as a treatment protocol for autism based on the hypothesis that "testosterone mercury" along with low levels of glutathione blocks the conversion of DHEA to DHEA-S and therefore raises androgens which in turn further lower glutathione levels. The thought is that this ultimately provides a connection between autism, mercury exposure, and hyperandrogenicity, specifically precocious puberty.[16][17][18]

Although Abbott Laboratories sells Lupron in the U.S. and cooperated with the Geiers in one of the patent applications, it is no longer pursuing work with them, citing the nonexistence of scientific evidence to justify further research.[19]

Criticism

Expert witness testimony

Geier has been qualified as an expert witness in Federal Court[20] and has been accepted as an expert witness in approximately 100 hearings for parents seeking compensation from the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program for alleged vaccine injuries to their children. In 10 of these cases, "Dr. Geier's opinion testimony has either been excluded or accorded little or no weight based upon a determination that he was testifying beyond his expertise."[21][22]

Geier's views have been found to fall outside of the scientific consensus. In a 2006 case[21] regarding an immunoglobulin containing thimerosal which was alleged to have caused autism, Geier's testimony was found to fall below the Daubert standard, which essentially requires expert testimony on science to be scientifically sound and represent the general consensus. As Geier provided most of the plaintiffs' evidence, the case was thus subject to summary judgment. Amongst the criticisms provided in the judge's decision on that case, Geier's literature review was found to be insufficient in justifying his claims, his lack of qualification in pediatrics was highlighted and he was found to be a "professional witness in areas for which he has no training, expertise, and experience," whose testimony was "intellectually dishonest," and "nothing more than an egregious example of blatant, result-oriented testimony."[21]

Ethics

On March 16, 2006, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office published two patent applications by Mark Geier and David Geier on the use of the drug Lupron in combination with chelation therapy as a treatment protocol for autism.[17][18]

David Geier’s institutional affiliation was listed in a 2006 online publication ahead of print as "Department of Biochemistry, George Washington University, Washington, D.C." On July 5, 2006, Hormone Research republished the article with a byline that read "President, MedCon, Inc., 14 Redgate Ct., Silver Spring, MD 20905, USA, Tel. +1 301 384 6988."[23] The republished article contains a "Potential Conflict of Interest and Affiliation Statement" that did not appear in the original version:

"Dr. Mark Geier is not affiliated with MedCon, Inc. David Geier is the President of MedCon. MedCon does not have a financial interest in relation to autism and puberty. Neither Dr. Mark Geier nor David Geier has any conflict of interest regarding anything related to this paper."

An investigation by a blogger on autism issues has found that the Institutional Review Board responsible for approving some of Mark Geier's recent research is composed almost exclusively by interested parties in vaccine-damage litigation, including Mark and David Geier themselves, Anne Geier (Mark Geier's wife), two of Mark Geier's business associates, a mother of a patient/subject of Mark Geier, and a mother who is a plaintiff in three pending vaccine injury claims.[1]

See also

Notes and references

  1. ^ a b c d Deer B (2007). "Autism research: What makes an expert?". BMJ. 334 (7595): 666–7. doi:10.1136/bmj.39146.498785.BE. PMID 17395945.
  2. ^ a b c d Harris G, O'Connor A (2005-06-25). "On autism's cause, it's parents vs. research". New York Times. Retrieved 2008-06-26.
  3. ^ Merril CR, Geier MR, Petricciani JC (1971). "Bacterial virus gene expression in human cells". Nature. 233 (5319): 398–400. doi:10.1038/233398a0. PMID 4940436.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. ^ "Dr. Mark Geier - an American hero!". Shoemaker & Associates, Attorneys & Counselors at law. Retrieved 2007-11-08.
  5. ^ Geier MR, Trigg ME, Merril CR (1973). "Fate of bacteriophage lambda in non-immune germ-free mice". Nature. 246 (5430): 221–3. doi:10.1038/246221a0. PMID 4586796.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ Trigg ME, Geier MR, Merril CR (1975). "Letter: Trapping of antigen in spleen". N. Engl. J. Med. 292 (4): 214–5. PMID 1167317.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  7. ^ Geier MR, Stanbro H, Merril CR (1978). "Endotoxins in commercial vaccines". Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 36 (3): 445–9. PMID 727776.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  8. ^ Geier D, Geier M (2002). "The true story of pertussis vaccination: a sordid legacy?". J Hist Med Allied Sci. 57 (3): 249–84. doi:10.1093/jhmas/57.3.249. PMID 12211972.
  9. ^ "Jackson Prize". Retrieved 2008-06-26.
  10. ^ a b Geier M, Geier D (2005). "The potential importance of steroids in the treatment of autistic spectrum disorders and other disorders involving mercury toxicity". Med Hypotheses. 64 (5): 946–54. doi:10.1016/j.mehy.2004.11.018. PMID 15780490.
  11. ^ Allen A (2007-05-28). "Thiomersal on trial: the theory that vaccines cause autism goes to court". Slate. Retrieved 2008-01-30.
  12. ^ "Study Fails to Show a Connection Between Thimerosal and Autism". American Academy of Pediatrics. 2003-05-16. Retrieved 2008-06-05.
  13. ^ a b Warning letter re: Dr. Mark Geier. Casewatch.org. Retrieved on 2007-11-10.
  14. ^ Young HA, Geier DA, Geier MR (2008). "Thimerosal exposure in infants and neurodevelopmental disorders: an assessment of computerized medical records in the Vaccine Safety Datalink". J Neurol Sci. 271: 110. doi:10.1016/j.jns.2008.04.002. PMID 18482737.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  15. ^ Geier DA, Geier MR (2006). "A clinical and laboratory evaluation of methionine cycle-transsulfuration and androgen pathway markers in children with autistic disorders". Horm. Res. 66 (4): 182–8. doi:10.1159/000094467. PMID 16825783.
  16. ^ "Methods of treating autism and autism spectrum disorders" US Patent application 20070254314, November 1, 2007
  17. ^ a b "Methods for screening, studying, and treating dissorders with a component of mercurial toxicity" US Patent application20060058271, March 16, 2006
  18. ^ a b "Methods of treating disorders having a component of mercury toxicity " US Patent application 20060058241, March 16, 2006
  19. ^ Mills S, Jones T (2009-05-21). "Physician team's crusade shows cracks". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2009-05-21.
  20. ^ United States District Court, Western District of Washington at Seattle in James E. Franics, Plaintiff, v. Maersk Lines, Limited, et al., Defendants (Case No. C03-2898C)
  21. ^ a b c "John and Jane Doe v. Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics, Inc", US District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina, July 6, 2006
  22. ^ "Dr. Mark Geier Severely Criticized", Stephen Barrett, M.D., Casewatch.org
  23. ^ Geier DA, Geier MR (2006). "A clinical and laboratory evaluation of methionine cycle-transsulfuration and androgen pathway markers in children with autistic disorders". Horm. Res. 66 (4): 182–8. doi:10.1159/000094467. PMID 16825783. Retrieved 2007-11-23.
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