Appeal hearings begin on misconduct charge

Abstract

final scenes in a nine-year drama of scientific misconduct got under way last week in Washington, D.C., as federal government lawyers began presenting their case against Thereza Imanishi–Kari, the Tufts University immunologist accused of falsifying research she reported in a 1986 paper. Among the dozens of witnesses expected to be called in the hearing requested by Imanishi–Kari is Nobel Laureate David Baltimore, one of the coauthors of the controversial publication. Imanishi–Kari asserts she is innocent of any wrongdoing. She asked for the hearing after the Department of Health & Human Services' Office of Research Integrity (ORI) concluded late last year that she was guilty of fabricating and falsifying critical results (C&EN, Dec. 5, 1994, page 8). If ORI's finding is upheld, Imanishi–Kari would be barred from receiving federal grant or contract money for 10 years. The evidence will show that this is one of the more egregious cases of scientific misconduct ever encountered ...