BREAKING /
FORMER NUS PROFESSOR SUSPECTED OF SCIENTIFIC FRAUD ROY GAN |
16.10.2011
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Alirio Melendez, former NUS professor. Credit: AsiaOne Edvantage
Just days after a human error caused the cancellation of an exam for 700 students, the National University of Singapore has taken another blow to its reputation – a former professor, Alirio Melendez, is being investigated for scientific fraud. If convicted, this would be the first major case of scientific fraud in Singapore.
Based on an anonymous tip-off that provided compelling evidence, NUS decided to start an inquiry on the works of Melendez and his team of eight researchers in Singapore. This includes scientists, academics and students from NUS and Defence Science Organisation National Laboratories.
The inquiry would be conducted by a ‘high level’ panel, including professors experienced in examining fraud cases alongside the overseas universities involved, the university said on Oct. 8, 2011.
Following the retraction of two journal articles in Nature Immunology and Science, one published in February this year and another published last year, the validity of Melendez’s 70 other works are being questioned as well.
Melendez was the corresponding researcher who led research efforts and acted as guarantor of the two retracted papers, which was mostly done in Singapore, according to news reports.
The work involving other international universities and organisations claimed to have made breakthroughs that would lead to better treatments of generalised blood infections, which are fatal and have limited treatment options.
One such infection is sepis, an acute and systematic inflammatory condition where the body fights a severe bacterial infection that has spread into the bloodstream. It can lead to widespread inflammation and blood clotting, often resulting in multi-organ dysfunction or failure.
A patient diagnosed with this infection is likely to be in a state of low blood pressure, termed ‘septic shock’, and this condition has a record of 20 million cases annually with a 50 percent fatality rate.
Due to his momentous discoveries, Melendez was considered a brilliant scientist and had moved quickly up the ranks. However with the scandal brooding, the University of Liverpool, Melendez’s current employer, has decided to suspend the man without prejudice pending the outcome of the inquiry.
Shrugging off the irregularities as a common affair in the scientific world, Melendez did not apologise for the incident. “It has been a living nightmare. With the current leaks and smears I have to say something to defend myself,” he said in an Oct. 10 report in The Retraction Watch. “I know that such problems are more common than we realise and I’m not condoning them. I’m glad they were picked up.”
In spite of the recent scandals, NUS remains positive that the university’s image would not be tarnished. Barry Halliwell, deputy president of research and technology at NUS affirmed this in a Channel News Asia report on Oct. 10. "Although we are sad that this has happened at NUS, we feel that the reputation of NUS will not be seriously damaged since we have handled the case according to best international practice," he said.
Based on an anonymous tip-off that provided compelling evidence, NUS decided to start an inquiry on the works of Melendez and his team of eight researchers in Singapore. This includes scientists, academics and students from NUS and Defence Science Organisation National Laboratories.
The inquiry would be conducted by a ‘high level’ panel, including professors experienced in examining fraud cases alongside the overseas universities involved, the university said on Oct. 8, 2011.
Following the retraction of two journal articles in Nature Immunology and Science, one published in February this year and another published last year, the validity of Melendez’s 70 other works are being questioned as well.
Melendez was the corresponding researcher who led research efforts and acted as guarantor of the two retracted papers, which was mostly done in Singapore, according to news reports.
The work involving other international universities and organisations claimed to have made breakthroughs that would lead to better treatments of generalised blood infections, which are fatal and have limited treatment options.
One such infection is sepis, an acute and systematic inflammatory condition where the body fights a severe bacterial infection that has spread into the bloodstream. It can lead to widespread inflammation and blood clotting, often resulting in multi-organ dysfunction or failure.
A patient diagnosed with this infection is likely to be in a state of low blood pressure, termed ‘septic shock’, and this condition has a record of 20 million cases annually with a 50 percent fatality rate.
Due to his momentous discoveries, Melendez was considered a brilliant scientist and had moved quickly up the ranks. However with the scandal brooding, the University of Liverpool, Melendez’s current employer, has decided to suspend the man without prejudice pending the outcome of the inquiry.
Shrugging off the irregularities as a common affair in the scientific world, Melendez did not apologise for the incident. “It has been a living nightmare. With the current leaks and smears I have to say something to defend myself,” he said in an Oct. 10 report in The Retraction Watch. “I know that such problems are more common than we realise and I’m not condoning them. I’m glad they were picked up.”
In spite of the recent scandals, NUS remains positive that the university’s image would not be tarnished. Barry Halliwell, deputy president of research and technology at NUS affirmed this in a Channel News Asia report on Oct. 10. "Although we are sad that this has happened at NUS, we feel that the reputation of NUS will not be seriously damaged since we have handled the case according to best international practice," he said.