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SALT LAKE CITY -- A review board at the University of Connecticut has determined that research on the health benefits of drinking red wine seems to have been falsified.
The announcement came after a misconduct investigation into the work of Dr. Dipak K. Das, a professor in the Department of Surgery and director of the Cardiovascular Research Center.
The three-year investigative process examined more than seven years of activity in Das' lab and was conducted after an anonymous tip in 2008 to the U.S. Office of Research Integrity of irregularities in Das' research.
The 49-page report details alleged instances in which Das appears to have combined the results of certain experiments by altering a type of data readout called a Western blot.
Dozens of articles on the research were examined, according to Chris D. Francesco, a spokesman from the University of Connecticut Health Center. Twenty-six of the articles were found to have irregularities.
Das did not respond to requests for comment, but told the review board via email that he did not know who had prepared the data sets in question. The review board, though, felt there was evidence to to the contrary.
"The (board) finds that Dr. Das' statement lacks credibility," the report reads. "Evidence uncovered by the (board) strongly suggests that Dr. Das himself was directly involved in 11 fabricating figures for publication."
The board voted unanimously that Das engaged in research misconduct.
Francesco said it is impossible to tell exactly how much of an impact the findings of the review board will have on the area of study, but it is the responsibility of the center to correct the scientific record.
There is a system in place to detect scientific misconduct. Though it did take some time, it did work.
–Chris Francesco
"The university takes very seriously its responsibility to correct the scientific records," he said. "There is a system in place to detect scientific misconduct. Though it did take some time, it did work."
The University of Connecticut has declined nearly $900,000 in grants awarded to Das, has frozen externally funded research in Das' lab and has notified the 11 journals in which the articles appeared of the alleged misconduct.
Das will remain on the faculty during continuing dismissal proceedings.
"There is due process that needs to be followed," Francesco said. "It's a delicate process with tenured professors."
Some of the research involved focused on resveratrol, a substance that occurs naturally in some plants, including red grapes. Francesco said it is uncertain how much of an effect the report's findings will have on original claims purporting the health benefits of resveratrol.
Resveratrol has been reported to promote heart-healthy benefits, including reducing LDL cholesterol. preventing blood clots and preventing damage to blood vessels.
Researchers have found that the resveratrol found in grape juice can have a similar effect on heart health.
