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LONDON, Aug 7 (Reuters) - Scientists who believed they hadstarted to decipher links between a GlaxoSmithKline H1N1pandemic flu vaccine and the sleep disorder narcolepsy haveretracted a study after saying they cannot replicate theirfindings.
The paper, originally published in the journal ScienceTranslational Medicine in December 2013, suggested narcolepsycan sometimes be triggered by a scientific phenomenon known as"molecular mimicry", offering a possible explanation for itslink to GSK's "swine flu" vaccine, Pandemrix.
The results appeared to show that the debilitating disorder,characterized by sudden sleepiness and muscle weakness, could beset off by an immune response to a portion of a protein from theH1N1 flu virus that is very similar to a region of a proteincalled hypocretin, which is key to narcolepsy.
But in a statement issued last week, the journal said theresearchers, led by Emmanuel Mignot, a professor of psychiatryand behavioural sciences at Stanford University, had asked thatthe paper be retracted "because they were unable to replicatesome of the results reported in the paper".
GSK, which has been funding Mignot's research into linksbetween the vaccine and narcolepsy, said in a statement itbelieved "the original scientific hypothesis remains a valid onethat needs to be further explored".
"We will continue to support Professor Mignot and hiscolleagues with their continued research in this area and hopethese ongoing efforts will enable us to provide more answers,"the British drugmaker said.
Previous studies in countries where GSK's Pandemrix vaccinewas used in the 2009/2010 flu pandemic - including in Britain,Finland, Sweden and Ireland - found its use was linked to asignificant rise in cases of narcolepsy in children.
Narcolepsy is thought to be brought about by loss offunction in "wakefulness" cells called hypocretin cells in oneof the brain's sleep centres. (Reporting by Kate Kelland; Editing by Robin Pomeroy)
