Investigation Into Prominent Cardiologist’s Research Finds Fabricated Or Falsified Data In 31 Published Studies
Dr. Piero Anversa popularized the idea of stem cell treatment for damaged hearts, prompting the formation of start-up companies to develop new treatments for heart attacks and stroke. Harvard has called for the studies to be retracted.
The New York Times:
Harvard Calls For Retraction Of Dozens Of Studies By Noted Cardiologist
A prominent cardiologist formerly at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston fabricated or falsified data in 31 published studies that should be retracted, officials at the institutions have concluded. The cardiologist, Dr. Piero Anversa, produced research suggesting that damaged heart muscle could be regenerated with stem cells, a type of cell that can transform itself into a variety of other cells. (Kolata, 10/15)
The Washington Post:
Harvard Investigation Finds Fraudulent Data In Papers By Heart Researcher
Piero Anversa and his colleagues were credited with finding a population of cells in the heart that suggested the organ has the ability to regenerate. His work, underwritten by millions of dollars in federal funding, helped lay the groundwork for clinical trials, and cardiologists continue to study ways to repair the heart with stem cells. But the cells Anversa described, so-called “c-kit” stem cells, don’t appear to work in the way he suggested, and subsequent research has raised doubt that they can regenerate heart tissue. (Johnson, 10/15)
