Neuroscientists in the United States have found that some of the research on the drug Simphyllum (Cassava Sciences), Drugs that target amyloid beta (Aβ) Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is flawed and, as a result, is of concern to the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Matthew Schrag, MD, and PhD of Vanderbilt University in Nashville have revealed what he calls a contradiction in a major study examining the drug.
In a whistleblower’s report to the NIH on drugs, Shrug has been changing images by several prominent researchers for years to support the hypothesis that the accumulation of amyloid in the brain causes AD. It claims to have been reused over the years. NIH has funded millions of dollars in research on Aβ as a potential cause of AD.
“This hypothesis was the central dominant thought in the field,” Shrug said. Medscape Medical News.. “Many therapies developed and clinically tested over the last decade have focused on the amyloid hypothesis of some pharmaceuticals, so this is an important element of our thinking about Alzheimer’s disease. “He added.
Schrag said in a detailed article published in Science on July 22 and written by investigative journalist Charles Piller that he was involved after a colleague proposed to work with a lawyer investigating Simufiram. .. The lawyer paid Schrag $ 18,000 to investigate the investigation behind the agent. According to the article, Cassava Sciences denies cheating.
Schrag has conducted many AD studies through sophisticated imaging software. This effort revealed and appeared to have changed several Western blot images that scientists use to detect the presence and amount of protein in samples.
High stakes
Schrag discovered “images that were clearly modified or duplicated in dozens of journal articles.” Chemistry The article states.
“There are many problems in doing this right, and it’s also important to be aware of the limits of what we can do. We were dealing with what was public and what was public. That’s quite a lot. But I haven’t reviewed it because the original material isn’t available, “Schrag said. Medscape..
But despite these restrictions, he adds, “here is enough that it is important for regulators to scrutinize the data to make sure it is correct.” I did.
Chemistry He has started his own independent review and reports that he has also asked several neuroscience experts to review the study. They agreed with Shrug’s overall conclusion that something was wrong.
Many of the studies questioned in the whistleblower’s report are directed at Dr. Sylvain Lesne, an associate professor of neuroscience who runs the University of Minnesota’s Lesne Institute. His colleague, Dr. Karen Ash, a professor of neurology at the same institution, was also mentioned in the whistleblower’s report.She was a co-author of 2006 report Nature We have identified the amyloid beta subtype as a potential cause behind AD.
Medscape Medical News We asked Resne and Ash for comment, but did not respond.
However, according to an email from a spokesperson at the University of Minnesota, the university asked questions about certain images used in peer-reviewed research publications written by university faculty members Karen Ash and Sylvain Lesne. We are aware that it is happening. The university followed the process and asked the question raised by the claim. At this time, we have no further information to provide. “
Trust issues
“An important relationship of trust between patients, doctors and scientists. When we are investigating illnesses for which we do not have the right treatment,” Schrag said. He added that when patients participated in the trial and agreed to accept the associated risks, they “have a very high degree of integrity with respect to the underlying data.”
Schrag also pointed out that there are limited resources to study these diseases. “It can be misdirected. It’s important to pay attention to data integrity issues and make sure you’re investing in the right place.”
The term “fraud” is not included in Shrug whistleblower reports. Also, he does not claim any illegal activity in his report. However, his work has driven several independent and ongoing researchers to the claims of several journals that have published the work in question. Nature When Scientific signaling..
Mr Schlag said he hopes the scientific records will be revised if his findings are verified by research. “
“Ultimately, I want to see a new set of hypotheses that give me the opportunity to look at the disease from a new perspective,” he added.
Schrag Chemistry The article was published outside of his employment at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and his opinion does not necessarily represent the view of Vanderbilt University or Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
Chemistry. Published July 21, 2022.
Damian McNamara It is a staff A journalist based in Miami. He covers a wide range of medical specialties, including infectious diseases, gastroenterology and critical care. Follow Damian on Twitter: @MedReporter..
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