School sued for fake cancer test

A biotechnology company is suing the University of Pittsburgh over a test for prostate cancer, linkurl:the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported last week.;https://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/s_641304.html The lawsuit claims the test is "no more accurate in distinguishing cancerous tissue from normal tissue than flipping a coin," according to the newspaper. After researcher Robert Getzenberg said he had identified a new biomarker for prostate cancer in 2001, the University of Pitt

Written byJef Akst

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A biotechnology company is suing the University of Pittsburgh over a test for prostate cancer, linkurl:the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported last week.;https://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/s_641304.html The lawsuit claims the test is "no more accurate in distinguishing cancerous tissue from normal tissue than flipping a coin," according to the newspaper. After researcher Robert Getzenberg said he had identified a new biomarker for prostate cancer in 2001, the University of Pittsburgh patented the marker and investors spent millions to found a company called linkurl:Onconome;https://www.onconome.com/ to develop and market it. Six years later, Redmond, Wash.-based Onconome discovered that the entire claim was based on "imaginary" and manipulated results, the lawsuit claimed -- during that time, Getzenberg had been leaving out the data that "was inconsistent with his claims." Onconome is suing the university for failing to properly supervise Getzenberg's research, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. The university told the newspaper it doesn't comment on pending litigation, and the paper couldn't reach Getzenberg for comment. linkurl:Getzenberg is now the research director;https://urology.jhu.edu/robertgetzenberg/index.php of Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions in Baltimore, Md., the overarching organization that includes the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the Johns Hopkins Health System. (Hat tip -- linkurl:ScienceInsider);https://blogs.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2009/09/researcher-sued.html
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[ March 2009]

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Meet the Author

Jef Akst
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Jef (an unusual nickname for Jennifer) got her master’s degree from Indiana University in April 2009 studying the mating behavior of seahorses. After four years of diving off the Gulf Coast of Tampa and performing behavioral experiments at the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga, she left research to pursue a career in science writing. As The Scientist's managing editor, Jef edited features and oversaw the production of the TS Digest and quarterly print magazine. In 2022, her feature on uterus transplantation earned first place in the trade category of the Awards for Excellence in Health Care Journalism. She is a member of the National Association of Science Writers.
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