“Following a review of research conducted in the former lab of Piero Anversa, we determined that 31 publications included falsified and/or fabricated data, and we have notified all relevant journals,”
Anversa教授出生于意大利,1965年获得医学博士学位,自2007年起在哈佛医学院及其属下的Brigham and Women’s Hospital担任医学教授和再生医学研究中心主任。他因“发现”心脏含有干细胞而出名。这些名为c-kit 的细胞,据称可以再生心肌,从而可以用于治疗心脏病。因此,Anversa教授可以说开创了心脏干细胞疗法这一领域。然而,国际上许多研究团队试图重复这一结果,没能成功。即便如此,一些研究人员仍然尝试将c-kit 注入病变的心脏,疗效也是参差不齐。
“I continue to believe, based on research in our laboratory and elsewhere, that human cardiac cells regenerate at a higher rate than has been stated in other published research。”
不过,在2017年,哈佛的Brigham and Women’s Hospital与美国政府已经就Anversa等人涉嫌学术不端、在项目申请书中通过伪造数据获取美国国立健康研究院(NIH)项目经费,达成和解,认罚1000万美金。值得一提的是,这一案例,也是Brigham and Women’s Hospital自己举报给美国卫生部,并与美国司法部密切配合,就惩戒措施达成一致的。
美国联邦检察官称,获得国家研究经费的科研人员,有诚实诚信从事研究工作的责任义务,不得篡改实验数据:
“Individuals and institutions that receive research funding from NIH have an obligation to conduct their research honestly and not to alter results to conform with unproven hypotheses。”
哈佛则在声明中称,将谨守最严格的学术规范和伦理标准,对学术不端绝不姑息:
We are committed to upholding the highest ethical standards and to rigorously maintaining the integrity of our research。 Any concerns brought to our attention are reviewed in accordance with institutional policies and applicable regulations。