Whittemore Peterson Institute (WPI) sprang from hope and determination to change the course of a spectrum of disabling diseases that continue to deeply affect our founders’ family and thousands of other families within the state of Nevada and around the world. Our founders asked a small but dedicated group of patients and physicians to help create a center where researchers and medical doctors could work together to bring an end to complex neuro-immune diseases (NIDs) including ME/CFS, autism, and fibromyalgia. With the help of private, federal, and state support, this dream was realized in 2010 with the opening of the institute on the medical school campus of the University of Nevada, Reno.

Thanks to the work of a handful of dedicated scientists and physicians, including those at WPI, this field has grown to include several medical research institutions and the publication of thousands of scientific studies.

Results of these studies conclude that this group of illnesses is associated with abnormal inflammation and immunity, dysfunctional mitochondria, and multiple infectious agents. They have systemic as well as neurological consequences and are recognized by a group of symptoms most notably cognitive impairment, disordered sleep, gastrointestinal dysfunction, loss of physical stamina and in the case of ME/CFS, severe exercise intolerance.

We support a neuro-immune disease (NID) community’s critical need for timely and effective treatments through grants of space and equipment within the Center for Translational Medicine at WPI. We encourage the sharing of scientific and medical information by hosting seminars, lectures and talks, and by engaging in other community activities which help us to educate local community members. We produce and share educational material on treatment and research discoveries from within the institute and the greater NID medical and scientific communities. WPI remains a dedicated advocate for critical research funding of drug treatment studies and clinical centers of excellence.

Because there remains a need for local support groups, WPI is actively seeking individual leaders to fill this role.  We continue to encourage those who want to become medical doctors and researchers to learn more about the doctors who practice within our facility and their medical research into NIDs. To insure the continuation of medical and scientific breakthroughs in this field of medicine, WPI acts as a conduit for collaboration between University of Nevada basic researchers and the onsite medical team.