I joined Dr. Larry Pease's laboratory as a fellow in 2001, where I studied the effect of a human IgM antibody on T cell activation. I am grateful to Larry—a remarkable scientist, an incredible human, an amazing mentor, and a valuable member of the Mayo Clinic—and the prestigious Mayo Clinic for providing me with a wonderful opportunity to be a part of their team. During my 9 years at Mayo, we showed that the antibody was capable of inducing immunostimulatory effects in both in vivo and in vitro experimental model systems.
Recently, however, none of these previously identified effects stimulated by antibody binding was observed. Based on circumstantial observations, it was claimed that I fabricated an experiment designed to quantify the potency of the purified antibody. As a result, multiple papers were retracted, a clinical trial was canceled, and my appointment at the Mayo clinic was terminated. Without harping too ...
