Three academics lost their jobs with a top mainland university over their roles in faking research that purported to show that traditional Chinese medicine could be as effective as western drugs in treating heart disease, state media reported yesterday.
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3 academics lose jobs over faked research
Will Clem in Shanghai
16 March 2009
Three academics lost their jobs with a top mainland university over their roles in faking research that purported to show that traditional Chinese medicine could be as effective as western drugs in treating heart disease, state media reported yesterday.
Zhejiang University president Yang Wei said at a public forum yesterday that the paper’s author, associate professor He Haibo, had been removed from the university’s academic staff and that the head of the research institute involved, lecturer Wu Limao, had also been fired, according to a Xinhua report.
Apart from bogus research, Dr He also committed plagiarism, stole data and quoted other researchers without permission, the report said.
Professor Yang said Li Lianda, dean of the university’s College of Pharmaceutical Sciences - whose name appeared as a co-author of the discredited paper - was nearing the end of his contract and the university would not renew his tenure.
The university president made the comments at a meeting with Ministry of Education officials to discuss ways to strengthen academic standards at higher learning institutions, Xinhua said.
Dr He’s paper, “Comparison of cardio-protective effects of using salvianolic acid B and benazepril for the treatment of chronic myocardial infarction in rats”, was published in a German academic journal in May last year. Myocardial infarction is a medical term for a heart attack.
In the abstract to the paper, which was still widely available online yesterday, Dr He writes: “These results suggest that both Sal B and benazepril exerted beneficial cardio protective effects in our experimental system, but that the modality of Sal B was different from that of benazepril. The additional beneficial effects of Sal B relative to benazpril [sic], augmenting VEGF expression and promoting angiogenesis, may result in improved myocardial microcirculation.”
Professor Yang said the university had launched an investigation into Dr He’s methods in October, after it received a letter claiming his findings did not stand up.
Similar allegations were posted on the website www.xys.org a week after the university’s investigation began, Xinhua said.
The case became a popular topic on blogs and message boards shortly after the Lunar New Year, the latest in a string of stories relating to plagiarism and academic misconduct in mainland universities.
Professor Yang said the investigation had looked at 20 papers published by the research institute, of which Dr He had contributed to nine.
Apart from one paper which named Dr He as a secondary author, the investigation found problems with the methodology in all eight papers of which he was principal author.
As a result of the investigation, the university cancelled Dr He’s contract as an associate professor in November, Professor Yang said, and decided to expel him from its academic staff “recently”.
Dr He’s name could not be found anywhere on Zhejiang University pharmaceutical college’s website last night. However, Professor Li and Dr Wu were both still listed on the academic staff page.
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