Human Stem Cell Trial Questioned

Research purporting to cure patients with heart disease using induced pluripotent stem cells may be a fraud.

| 2 min read

Register for free to listen to this article
Listen with Speechify
0:00
2:00
Share

A poster sessionFlickr, ThinkGeoEnergyA clinical trial that claimed to treat six heart disease patients with induced pluripotent stem cells has been brought into question due to dubious reports about where the research had taken place and lead author Hisashi Moriguchi’s misrepresented institutional affiliations.

Moriguchi told Nature that his clinical trials were approved and conducted in Harvard facilities, which he lists as one of his affiliations. But, a Harvard communications officer told ScienceInsider that Moriguchi had only worked as a visiting fellow at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) "from late November through the end of December of 1999," and he "has not been associated with MGH or Harvard" since then.

In addition, Harvard University released a statement saying that “no clinical trials related to Dr Moriguchi's work have been approved by institutional review boards at either Harvard University or MGH.”

On the heels of the Nobel Prize awarded for work on induced pluripotent stem cells last week, this research would have been the first time that such adult cells reverted ...

Interested in reading more?

Become a Member of

The Scientist Logo
Receive full access to more than 35 years of archives, as well as TS Digest, digital editions of The Scientist, feature stories, and much more!
Already a member? Login Here

Keywords

Meet the Author

  • Edyta Zielinska

    This person does not yet have a bio.
Share
May digest 2025 cover
May 2025, Issue 1

Study Confirms Safety of Genetically Modified T Cells

A long-term study of nearly 800 patients demonstrated a strong safety profile for T cells engineered with viral vectors.

View this Issue
Detecting Residual Cell Line-Derived DNA with Droplet Digital PCR

Detecting Residual Cell Line-Derived DNA with Droplet Digital PCR

Bio-Rad
How technology makes PCR instruments easier to use.

Making Real-Time PCR More Straightforward

Thermo Fisher Logo
Characterizing Immune Memory to COVID-19 Vaccination

Characterizing Immune Memory to COVID-19 Vaccination

10X Genomics
Optimize PCR assays with true linear temperature gradients

Applied Biosystems™ VeriFlex™ System: True Temperature Control for PCR Protocols

Thermo Fisher Logo

Products

The Scientist Placeholder Image

Biotium Launches New Phalloidin Conjugates with Extended F-actin Staining Stability for Greater Imaging Flexibility

Leica Microsystems Logo

Latest AI software simplifies image analysis and speeds up insights for scientists

BioSkryb Genomics Logo

BioSkryb Genomics and Tecan introduce a single-cell multiomics workflow for sequencing-ready libraries in under ten hours

iStock

Agilent BioTek Cytation C10 Confocal Imaging Reader

agilent technologies logo