In July 1998, renowned Alzheimer's disease researcher Dr. Marguerite Kay was fired from the University of Arizona after panels found her guilty of scientific misconduct in a study that showed vitamin E delays aging of the immune system and the brain.
A tenure committee found that "Dr. Kay falsified, manipulated and otherwise misrepresented data and findings in publications." Kay denied the allegations, saying data was apparently manipulated by a former lab worker, without her knowledge.
Kay, a regents professor in microbiology and immunology, received worldwide attention for a study published in May 1996 that suggested vitamin E supplements could slow the decline of immune and brain systems in mice that is typically caused by aging. Allegations emerged in February 1997, when former employees contacted administrators with accusations of misconduct, including data fabrication.
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Kay sued the university and was reinstated in 2000, but was immediately placed on paid administrative leave and barred from campus. She was fired a second time in April 2002.
- Eric Swedlund
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - A new set of federal rules took effect last month, placing the onus for identifying, investigating and reporting allegations of scientific misconduct on universities and institutions.
"This raises the stakes on academia itself to self regulate," said Washington D.C.-based attorney David Bloch, who works with medical manufacturers and trade groups.
In June, integrity officers from universities and institutions around the country gathered in Sacramento to learn about the new federal rules and talk about how to prevent - and catch - cheaters.
The new rules - which affect about 4,000 universities and institutions that receive federal funds for medical research - require a formal program to review research and maintain integrity. The rules define "research misconduct" as fabrication, falsification and plagiarism, excluding authorship disputes, honest errors or differences of opinion. A new six-year limit on investigating misconduct has also been added.
Federal law already encourages whistle-blowers with substantial promises of reward money, and it outlines very clearly - with deadlines and reporting requirements - how institutions need to monitor and investigate misconduct.
The number of federal scientific misconduct cases "is likely to skyrocket" under the new law, both because of the new requirements and the financial benefits of whistle-blowing, said attorney Bloch.
- The Associated Press
