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| 'Superstar doctor' fired from Swedish institute over research 'lies' | 'Superstar doctor' fired from Swedish institute over research 'lies' |
| (about 7 hours later) | |
| Paolo Macchiarini was once feted as a medical superstar, known as a trailblazer in the field of stem cell research who had revolutionised windpipe surgery and a personal doctor to VIPs – he claimed to have operated on everyone from Pope Francis to the Obamas. | Paolo Macchiarini was once feted as a medical superstar, known as a trailblazer in the field of stem cell research who had revolutionised windpipe surgery and a personal doctor to VIPs – he claimed to have operated on everyone from Pope Francis to the Obamas. |
| But on Wednesday Macchiarini’s employer, Sweden’s prestigious Karolinska University (KI), announced it had fired the Italian with immediate effect. | But on Wednesday Macchiarini’s employer, Sweden’s prestigious Karolinska University (KI), announced it had fired the Italian with immediate effect. |
| In a statement, Karolinska said Macchiarini’s contract would be rescinded for a variety of reasons including apparent scientific negligence and the falsification of his CV. | In a statement, Karolinska said Macchiarini’s contract would be rescinded for a variety of reasons including apparent scientific negligence and the falsification of his CV. |
| “It is impossible for KI to continue to have any cooperation with Paolo Macchiarini. He has acted in a way that has had very tragic consequences for the people affected and their families. His conduct has seriously damaged confidence in KI,” human resource director Mats Engelbrektson said in a statement. | “It is impossible for KI to continue to have any cooperation with Paolo Macchiarini. He has acted in a way that has had very tragic consequences for the people affected and their families. His conduct has seriously damaged confidence in KI,” human resource director Mats Engelbrektson said in a statement. |
| Macchiarini said he denied the allegations, telling Nature magazine: “I do not accept any of the findings of the [Karolinska] Disciplinary Board. I have instructed lawyers and will be taking immediate steps to restore my reputation.” | Macchiarini said he denied the allegations, telling Nature magazine: “I do not accept any of the findings of the [Karolinska] Disciplinary Board. I have instructed lawyers and will be taking immediate steps to restore my reputation.” |
| Macchiarini had been part of the team that conducted the world’s first transplant using a windpipe partly made from a patient’s own stem cells in 2008, a controversial procedure criticised by many scientists but approved by regulators in the UK and Spain. The international team that carried out the transplant had also included researchers from Bristol and Barcelona universities. | Macchiarini had been part of the team that conducted the world’s first transplant using a windpipe partly made from a patient’s own stem cells in 2008, a controversial procedure criticised by many scientists but approved by regulators in the UK and Spain. The international team that carried out the transplant had also included researchers from Bristol and Barcelona universities. |
| But this year Macchiarini’s reputation began to suffer. | But this year Macchiarini’s reputation began to suffer. |
| A documentary screened on Swedish television, entitled Experimenten (Experiments), alleged that he had effectively used his patients as live guinea pigs by continuing to apply his new method in operations even though it showed little or no sign of working. Six of the eight patients who have received his synthetic trachea transplant have since died. | A documentary screened on Swedish television, entitled Experimenten (Experiments), alleged that he had effectively used his patients as live guinea pigs by continuing to apply his new method in operations even though it showed little or no sign of working. Six of the eight patients who have received his synthetic trachea transplant have since died. |
| The programme also questioned the surgeon’s claim that artificial tracheae had been tested on animals before being tried on humans. | The programme also questioned the surgeon’s claim that artificial tracheae had been tested on animals before being tried on humans. |
| In 2015, when an external assessor confirmed that Macchiarini had falsified test results, Karolinska University still expressed its support for the surgeon, saying that although there were “certain flaws” in his research, there was “nothing that can be considered scientific misconduct”. | In 2015, when an external assessor confirmed that Macchiarini had falsified test results, Karolinska University still expressed its support for the surgeon, saying that although there were “certain flaws” in his research, there was “nothing that can be considered scientific misconduct”. |
| The criticisms, however, kept coming. Last month, an article published in Vanity Fair magazine claimed Macchiarini had embellished his academic credentials from a number of universities around Europe, and had made false claims about being part of “highly classified group of doctors from around the world who cater to the world’s VIPs”, including Pope Francis, Bill and Hillary Clinton, Emperor Akihito of Japan, and President Obama. | The criticisms, however, kept coming. Last month, an article published in Vanity Fair magazine claimed Macchiarini had embellished his academic credentials from a number of universities around Europe, and had made false claims about being part of “highly classified group of doctors from around the world who cater to the world’s VIPs”, including Pope Francis, Bill and Hillary Clinton, Emperor Akihito of Japan, and President Obama. |
| On 11 July 2015, Macchiarini had been due to marry Benita Alexander, a US television producer he had met while she was making a documentary about his work. According to Vanity Fair, the Switzerland-born Italian scientist had told Alexander that Vladimir Putin, Barack and Michelle Obama, the Clintons, Nicolas Sarkozy and tenor Andrea Bocelli were all planning to attend their wedding. | On 11 July 2015, Macchiarini had been due to marry Benita Alexander, a US television producer he had met while she was making a documentary about his work. According to Vanity Fair, the Switzerland-born Italian scientist had told Alexander that Vladimir Putin, Barack and Michelle Obama, the Clintons, Nicolas Sarkozy and tenor Andrea Bocelli were all planning to attend their wedding. |
| As if that wasn’t enough, the pope himself would host the ceremony, Macchiarini reportedly said. | As if that wasn’t enough, the pope himself would host the ceremony, Macchiarini reportedly said. |
| Related: Cancer patient receives first synthetic organ transplant | Related: Cancer patient receives first synthetic organ transplant |
| Macchiarini, described by colleagues as a “Renaissance man” who was fluent in half a dozen languages, had allegedly claimed that Francis had given his personal blessing for the wedding between the couple, both of whom were divorcees. | Macchiarini, described by colleagues as a “Renaissance man” who was fluent in half a dozen languages, had allegedly claimed that Francis had given his personal blessing for the wedding between the couple, both of whom were divorcees. |
| The wedding was cancelled in May 2015, and it subsequently emerged that Macchiarini had in fact been married to an Italian woman for almost 30 years. In a statement to Vanity Fair, Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi said: “There is no ‘personal doctor’ of the pope with [the] name ‘Macchiarini’. The pope has surely never promised to officiate a wedding of ‘Macchiarini’ and does not know someone with such [a] name. On 11 July the Pope was travelling in Latin America and this was on his agenda long time before July … This is enough.” | The wedding was cancelled in May 2015, and it subsequently emerged that Macchiarini had in fact been married to an Italian woman for almost 30 years. In a statement to Vanity Fair, Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi said: “There is no ‘personal doctor’ of the pope with [the] name ‘Macchiarini’. The pope has surely never promised to officiate a wedding of ‘Macchiarini’ and does not know someone with such [a] name. On 11 July the Pope was travelling in Latin America and this was on his agenda long time before July … This is enough.” |
| As embarrassing as the claims about his private life were, however, the Italian’s professional actions had the most serious impact, becoming a scandal that has reverberated around Swedish academia and resulted in the resignations of Karolinska’s vice-chancellor, Anders Hamsten, and of the Nobel Assembly’s secretary general, Urban Lendahl, who had been involved in Macchiarini’s hiring at the Karolinska Insitute. | As embarrassing as the claims about his private life were, however, the Italian’s professional actions had the most serious impact, becoming a scandal that has reverberated around Swedish academia and resulted in the resignations of Karolinska’s vice-chancellor, Anders Hamsten, and of the Nobel Assembly’s secretary general, Urban Lendahl, who had been involved in Macchiarini’s hiring at the Karolinska Insitute. |
| Medical journal The Lancet, which published a paper by Macchiarini and colleagues in December 2011, in February ran an editorial by editor Richard Horton, responding to calls for the paper to be retracted. | |
| “For a country [Sweden] that takes its contribution to global science so seriously, this situation is simply unacceptable,” Horton wrote. “Indeed, for many of the protagonists in this conflict, it would be helpful if some drastic action could be taken immediately to dissipate the crisis or even make it disappear. Retraction of the paper might be one such action.” | “For a country [Sweden] that takes its contribution to global science so seriously, this situation is simply unacceptable,” Horton wrote. “Indeed, for many of the protagonists in this conflict, it would be helpful if some drastic action could be taken immediately to dissipate the crisis or even make it disappear. Retraction of the paper might be one such action.” |
| One of Macchiarini’s co-authors, Karl-Henrik Grinnemo, has since asked for his name to be removed from the paper. | One of Macchiarini’s co-authors, Karl-Henrik Grinnemo, has since asked for his name to be removed from the paper. |
| The Lancet went on to quote Pierre Delaere, a professor of ear, nose, throat, head, and neck surgery in Leuven, Belgium, who said: “The sooner the publications on the engineered windpipe and gullet are withdrawn, the sooner there will come an end to what may be the biggest lie in medical history.” | The Lancet went on to quote Pierre Delaere, a professor of ear, nose, throat, head, and neck surgery in Leuven, Belgium, who said: “The sooner the publications on the engineered windpipe and gullet are withdrawn, the sooner there will come an end to what may be the biggest lie in medical history.” |
| A spokesperson for Karolinska university told the Guardian that the new management’s investigation into Macchiarini’s scientific misconduct would also look at the Lancet article. “The first step in this process is to request an official statement from the Central Ethical Review Board’s expert group for misconduct in research,” a statement said. “If the article is to be retracted before any decision regarding scientific misconduct, the co-authors must agree on that decision and jointly demand a retraction.” | A spokesperson for Karolinska university told the Guardian that the new management’s investigation into Macchiarini’s scientific misconduct would also look at the Lancet article. “The first step in this process is to request an official statement from the Central Ethical Review Board’s expert group for misconduct in research,” a statement said. “If the article is to be retracted before any decision regarding scientific misconduct, the co-authors must agree on that decision and jointly demand a retraction.” |