Partners, Brigham pay $10M to settle research fraud probe
Partners
Healthcare and Brigham and Women’s have agreed to pay $10 million to
settle allegations by the federal government that a group of former stem
cell researchers at the hospital falsified data to win grant funding
from the NIH.
The
U.S. Attorney’s Office in Boston announced the settlement, which stems
from grant applications submitted by a stem cell research lab run by
former Harvard Medical School professor Piero Anversa.
According to the government, Anversa and two other researchers, Annarosa Leri
and Jan Kajstura, used “manipulated and falsified information” to
obtain funding to study whether stem cells can repair cardiovascular
damage. The data was published in a 2012 issue of the journal
Circulation, but the study was later withdrawn amid allegations that it
had been partially fabricated.
Anversa
and Leri sued Brigham in 2014, saying the hospital's investigation into
their alleged conduct was flawed and marred by conflicts of interest. A
judge dismissed that case in 2015.
On
Thursday, prosecutors credited Brigham with voluntarily disclosing the
possible fraud to the government, and noted that the scientists are no
longer affiliated with the hospital.
“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,” Acting U.S. Attorney William Weinreb
said in a statement. “Medical research fraud not only wastes scarce
government resources but also undermines the scientific process and the
search for better treatments for serious diseases.”
In
a statement, a Brigham spokesperson said the hospital ceased drawing
funds implicated in the alleged fraud when the claims came to light, and
also closed the lab.
