A former researcher at the Iowa State University is accused of scientific fraud which may have cost taxpayers up to $15 million. The Korean researcher, Dr. Dong Pyou-Han is being accused of deliberately falsifying blood research into a possible vaccine for HIV. His research falsely shows that rabbits infected with the HIV virus had shown significant improvement. The research results were so remarkable that the government’s National Institute of Health granted Iowa State University and Dr. Han $15 million in federal research grants.
The false results were given to the NIH and to a senior scientist at Iowa State University, after the first publication of the research paper. It was then discovered that the rabbit blood was combined with human antibodies. This way, it appeared as if the rabbits were developing immunity to the virus. John McCaroll, a spokesman for Iowa State University said that everyone reacted in “disbelief, surprise, shock and disappointment”. Han said he was foolish, a coward and not frank. He also added: “My misconduct is not done in order to hurt someone”. Nicholas Kleinfeldt, the U.S. attorney for the southern district of Iowa declared: “Just because somebody has a PhD, just because someone’s involved in the scientific community, doesn’t mean they’re going to necessarily be treated differently than anyone else who’s committed a criminal offense”.
Iowa State University was able to repay only $500,000 from the $15 million given as a federal research grant. Most of the money was spent on salaries and lab equipment. According to Retraction Watch, an organization which tracks research frauds, scientists who end up receiving grants for falsified research never fully return the tax payer’s money. Also, they rarely go to prison. The NIH has given up to $58 million to scientific research which turned out to be fake, in the last 22 years. It is believed that the numbers could actually be a lot higher. The press wanted to reach Dr. Han at his apartment in Cleveland, in order to ask him a few questions. Han was not willing to talk to the press. When he was finally reached on his cell phone, all he said was “I’m sorry”. If Dr. Dong Pyou-Han is found guilty on all the four federal charges against him, he might face up to 20 years in jail, as well as a $1 million fine.