Were the XMRV negative studies carried out by a couple of amateur scientists ?

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Since Science magazine published the XMRV research by the WPI, National Cancer Institute and the Cleveland Clinic there have been several attempts to cast doubt on the quality of that research.

It seems a strange way to conduct science where the quality of the research and the methods employed to perform the research are seemingly thought of as having been carried out by a couple of amateur scientists and published by a school magazine.