Dr. Dipak K. Das
Posted on 01/13/2012 3:21:57 PM PST by Stoat
January 13, 2012 — A University of Connecticut researcher known for touting the health benefits of red wine is guilty of 145 counts offabricating and falsifying data with image-editing software, according to a 3-year university investigation made public Wednesday.
The researcher, Dipak K. Das, PhD, is a director of the university's Cardiovascular Research Center (CRC) and a professor in the Department of Surgery. The university stated in a press release thatit has frozen all externally funded research in Dr. Das's lab and turned down $890,000 in federal research grants awarded to him. The process to dismiss Dr. Das from the university is already underway, the university added
A university special review board (SRB) found evidence of research fraud in 2 dozen published papers dating back to 2002 as well as 3 grant applications. The university said it has notified 11 journals that published the studies of its findings. The publications include The American Journal of Physiology — Heart and Circulatory Physiology and the Journal of Molecular and Cellular Cardiology. Some of the studies asserted that a substance in red wine called resveratrol promoted heart health.
"We have a responsibility to correct the scientific record and inform peer researchers across the country," said Philip Austin, interim vice president of health affairs at the University of Connecticut.
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Dr. Dipak K. Das
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The review board findings "point to a pervasive attitude of disregard within the CRC for commonly accepted scientific practices in the publication and reporting of research data," its report stated. "Given the large number of irregularities discovered in this investigation...the SRB can only conclude that they were the result of intentional acts of data falsification and fabrication, designed to deceive."
The review board report stated that the US Office of Research Integrity (ORI) tipped off the university in 2008 about alleged fraud involving a 2007 article in Free Radical Biology and Medicine coauthored by Dr. Das titled "Redox regulation of resveratrol-mediated switching of death signal into survival signal." The ORI is now conducting its own investigation of Dr. Das, according to the university.
Other members of the CRC played a part in the research fraud, and they are under investigation as well.
"No Resemblance to Any Legitimate Experiment"
The exact nature of the alleged fraud involves images of "blots" obtained through gel electrophoresis that were featured in article figures. Most of the figures presented Western blots, designed for studying proteins.
Using Photoshop software as a forensic tool, the review board determined that dozens of images bore evidence of inappropriate manipulation by "photo imaging software." The most egregious examples were pasted-up "artificial blots" that "bear no resemblance to any legitimate experiment" and represent total fabrications. The board also found examples of background erasure, image duplication, and images having been spliced together.
The board noted that splicing various blot images together can serve a legitimate purpose but that researchers must precisely describe the manipulation that they perform. Such explanations were lacking in articles coming out of Dr. Das's laboratory.
The review board report stated that as head of the lab and senior author of all but one of the tainted articles, Dr. Das "bears principal responsibility for the fabrication and/or falsification that occurred." Furthermore, the evidence "strongly suggests" that Dr. Das was directly involved in faking images for publication. Some of that evidence was pulled from his personal computer.
Accused Researcher Cites "Racial Hatred"
The report quoted Dr. Das as saying he does not know who prepared the figures that appeared in the journal articles. It stated that he has provided "no substantive information" that could explain the research irregularities.
An exhibit in the report contains what the board called Dr. Das's response to the investigation. In a document dated July 30, 2010, Dr. Das said the accusations against him are part of a campaign to rid the university health center of the "Indian community."
"I became the Devil for the Health Center, and so did all the Indians working for me," he wrote. "The evidence for conspiracy and racial hatred is overwhelming."
He also alleged that the stress of battling the university administration led to a brain hemorrhage and stroke.
Medscape Medical News did not receive a reply to an email sent to Dr. Das at his university email address. A company called Resveratrol Partners, which markets a resveratrol-based dietary supplement called Longevinex, said yesterday in a press release that "Dr. Das is attending a scientific conference in India and has not been able to respond to the allegations."
The Web site of Resveratrol Partners highlights some of Dr. Das's studies on the cardio benefits of resveratrol. In yesterday's press release, Resveratrol Partners managing partner Bill Sardi said that Dr. Das does not have any business relationship with the company and that other researchers have confirmed the value of Longevinex.
Translation: "We knew about this fraudster for well over three years, but preferred to allow individuals and major institutions to be continually misled by his fabricated research until the volume of evidence became so completely overwhelming that we had no other choice but to go public with it."
"I became the Devil for the Health Center, and so did all the Indians working for me," he wrote. "The evidence for conspiracy and racial hatred is overwhelming."
He also alleged that the stress of battling the university administration led to a brain hemorrhage and stroke.
Translation: "I was able to get away with all of this for so long because I knew that the University would never lift a finger against me due to their hysterical fears of being called "racist". Of course I'm guilty, and guilty of far more than what I'm being charged with. My only mistake was in not hiring a better Photoshop tech. What can I say...I was trying to save money!"
I am trying to figure this out.
Ok, the guy may have falsified his studies, however I have heard about the health benefits of red wine my whole life, which is a really long long time.
I mean this guy isn’t the first person to say this.
Thank goodness nothing like this happens in climate research.
This situation doesn’t necessarily disprove the entire foundation and body of evidence that supports the beneficial aspects of red wine to human health and physiology.
More likely the fraud was undertaken in an effort to benefit from various research grants and corporate sponsorships from the pharmaceuticals industry.
I haven’t read “all” of the supporting documents, but I’m guessing his research targeted specific drugs and either inflated or diminished their efficacy through his fraud.
maybe he should have stuck with “why red wine gives me a headache” theory
LMAO ;-)
Makes you wonder how many other things we take for granted are not true at all or have been twisted in some way, doesn't it?
Take a little red wine and call me in the morning.
Honest elections?
Just use my handy dandy labels to convert Two Buck Chuck into very fine wine.
Wass die fokk ist Das?
A question comes to mind: Where did this fraud get his PhD; off a punchboard? Is anyone out there old enough to remember punchboards? ;o)
You like-a da vino, you drink-a da vino....in moderation! Vita bella! Why do you need some egghead fraud to tell you whether or not to drink wine?
But if you listened to El Rushbo today, NONE of the things people do these days to supposedly lengthen their days above ground actually amount to THAT much.
Das is no good..........
The Apostle Paul’s advice to his spiritual “son” and protege Timothy is enough for ME!
1st Timothy 5:23 Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach’s sake and thine often infirmities.
Honest elections?
Sadly, I don't think we've been able to count on those for quite a long time, if ever. At least these days we have the advantage of an alternative media as well as far more open accessibility to media from the general public via the internet, which hopefully will make election fraud more difficult.
“The evidence for conspiracy and racial hatred is overwhelming.”
When caught red-handed, always play the race card. After all, it still works on leftists.
And don’t leave home without it.
That was weird on Limbaugh today. Wine as heart healthy has been around for centuries, even Biblical.
My doctor has said she is so sick of this “crap” (yes, she said crap) about drinking. She has told me there is nothing unhealthy (given an otherwise healthy person) with having a couple of nice size glasses of wine every night.
We had a long talk about it, and she said think about years ago people had cocktails, wine with dinner then an after dinner drink with no ill health.
However, she also believes in herbal and vitamin supplements which is very unusual for a medical doctor.
I love her!
Kimble: “You switched the samples and falsified the reports so R.D.U.90 could get approval.”
Drink Red Wines -- Be Glad There Are No Blue Ones.
Honestly, I really haven’t been drinking it for my health anyway, although I do believe it is good for digestion. I think I’ll have me a glass of Chinon with my steak tonight, and a small shot of 12 year old Glenlivet for dessert!
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