Stephen Straus

Stephen E. Straus (November 23, 1946 He attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, switching from physics to biology,

In 1973–75, Straus researched adenoviruses as a research associate at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). In October 1999, Straus was appointed the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM)'s first director (while continuing his work at NIAID), a position he held until November 2006.

Straus discovered that infection with EBV very occasionally results in a life-threatening chronic progressive disease, now called chronic active EBV infection. Other viral diseases Straus worked on include HIV/AIDS, influenza and chronic hepatitis B. He also researched Lyme disease, which is caused by Borrelia bacteria.

Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome Straus started to research what is now known as myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) in 1979. Working on the then-current hypothesis that the syndrome might be caused by EBV, he started a clinical trial of acyclovir therapy in 1984. Although the study showed no benefit from the drug, it provided evidence that EBV did not cause the syndrome. In 1988, Straus was one of a group of physicians to propose the name "chronic fatigue syndrome" for the condition, and was subsequently one of the lead authors of the International Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Study Group's guidelines. He also pursued various virological, immunological, neuroendocrine and neuropsychological studies of the syndrome. He found mutations in the genes encoding Fas and Fas ligand, as well as caspase-10 and N-Ras, are associated with the disorder. He followed a cohort of over 200 people with ALPS, and showed that they have a substantially elevated risk of developing lymphoma. responsible for an annual budget of a little under $90 million. By 2006, the center's research focus had shifted away from large clinical trials and towards investigating how treatments might work, as well as the optimal dosing strategy for botanical extracts and their interactions with prescription drugs. Donald M. Marcus and Arthur P. Grollman, in a 2006 Science opinion article, claimed that the center funded "proposals of dubious merit", and that its research strategy was "shaped more by politics than by science". Straus responded that the center had "made important contributions in a field that is fraught with controversy and challenges" and that it was "applying the same scientific standards to the conduct of research and its review as used by other NIH institutes". and Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons's gold medal for Distinguished Achievements in Medicine in 2007. He also received five US Public Health Service medals.

Personal life Straus's wife, Barbara, worked in education; the couple had a son and two daughters. In November 2004, Straus was diagnosed with a brain tumor, from which he died at Potomac, Maryland in 2007, aged 60.