To Fund or Not to Fund, that is the Question: Proposed Experiments on the Drug-AIDS Hypothesis

DUESBERG FUNDING

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not suggesting experiments to resolve this controversy. However, he
has now answered my call with a proposal to test the role of nitrite
inhalants as a cofactor in AIDS. Certainly this idea seems intuitively
to have merit, as nitrites have long been known for their proven
mutagenic and carcinogenic effects. He plans to extend some unfinished
work by other laboratories in the mid-1980's on mice, examining the
physiological and immunological effects of long-term (six months or
more) exposure to volatile nitrites."
Koshland added that "while the early research yielded promising
results, including evidence of immunotoxicity, it was never properly
confirmed or followed up. Duesberg's proposal is a specific, workable
one that will be done in collaboration with an inhalation toxicologist
at the University of California, Davis." Koshland also commented
more generally that "given the critical information that would be
generated by such a study, regardless of its outcome, I believe the time
has come for this experiment to be performed."
~2. Non-funding of the Duesberg-Raabe proposal.
In December 1993, Duesberg received notice that his application
would not be funded. The boxed official statement to this effect was:
The scientific merit review of your application
(1ROloA/AI0a3391-01) is complete. The Initial Review Group
(IRG) has recommended that NO FURTHER CONSIDERATION
BE GIVEN TO THIS APPLICATION. Applications so designated
cannot be funded in their current form; therefore, they are not
routinely scheduled for second level review by the National
Advisory Council/Board. An IRG summary statement containing
important evaluative comments will automatically be sent to you
in approximately 8 weeks. Until then, no specific information
regarding the review will be available. However, you may call
the contact number above at any time with other questions. After
receiving your summary statement you may also call to discuss the
contents, and for advice regarding a possible resubmission. If you
submit a revised application, you must follow the instructions in
the application form and respond especially to comments in the
summary statement.
Thus the proposal did not even receive a "priority score", or a full