Cardiology (cardiac stem cells)

Piero Anversa: Brigham cardiac stem cell laboratory, 2014 to 2018

Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital

Retracted after institutional review His laboratory closed in 2015 and he no longer works at the Brigham, STAT reported. In 2018 Harvard and the Brigham said 31 publications from his former laboratory included falsified and/or fabricated data and notified the journals. The statement did not assign responsibility to any individual.^1,2,3

Papers

Investigations

• US Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts (civil settlement with the hospital), 27 April 2017Partners HealthCare and Brigham and Women's Hospital agreed to pay 10 million dollars to resolve allegations that the Anversa laboratory used manipulated and falsified data to obtain NIH grant funding. The release states these as allegations the government made, and says the hospital disclosed them to the government.¹
• Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital, 14 October 2018The institutions said "we determined that 31 publications included falsified and/or fabricated data" and that they had notified the journals, according to STAT. The statement as reported did not say who was responsible. STAT reported that ORI had not made a finding in the case.²

Response

STAT reported in 2018 that he could not be reached for comment. It also reported that a 2014 lawsuit he and Annarosa Leri brought against Harvard and the Brigham, after the institutions alerted journals, was unsuccessful.²

Sources

1. US Attorney's Office, District of Massachusetts, Partners Healthcare and Brigham and Women's Hospital Agree to Pay $10 Million to Resolve Research Fraud Allegations (27 April 2017)
2. STAT, Harvard and the Brigham call for more than 30 retractions of cardiac stem cell research (14 October 2018)
3. Retraction Watch, Harvard and the Brigham recommend 31 retractions for cardiac stem cell work (14 October 2018)