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Research industry next to meltdown, charges watchdog;
urges federal probe after study shows fraud in 26 laboratories, including Harvard, University of California
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Research industry next to meltdown, charges watchdog; Washington, DC – The next industry meltdown may be in the nation’s
research laboratories, an independent research watchdog said today after
it filed a wide-ranging complaint against 26 laboratories – including
those at Harvard, MIT, John Hopkins and the University of California –
for fraud. "The animal research industry is just as unregulated as Wall Street
was before the current economic crisis," said Michael A. Budkie, A.H.T.,
Executive Director, SAEN. "If this system is not overhauled the next
meltdown will be in research laboratories." The complaint filed with the Secretary of Agriculture urges an
immediate probe of 50 U.S. researchers for filing fraudulent documents
and for performing virtually identical experimentation in violation of
federal regulations. SAEN, a nonprofit group based in Ohio, filed the complaint following
an exhaustive, and detailed study of 57 taxpayer-funded research grants
valued at more than $110 million over a five year period. The study
concluded that these projects have a redundancy index of 5.4 out of a
possible 6 when compared to each other. The redundant projects involve the use of outdated technology from
the 1960's utilizing crude procedures, which force electrodes directly
into the brains of conscious primates. Many of the projects in question
are also directly connected to other federal violations including
depriving primates of water and the performance of unapproved surgical
procedures. The projects are funded at 26 separate U.S. labs including: Harvard,
Stanford, Emory, University of Alabama (Birmingham), University of
California (Berkeley, Davis and San Francisco), Johns Hopkins, MIT,
Rutgers, Duke, Wake Forest, NY State Psychiatric Institute, Vanderbilt,
University of Pittsburgh, University of Pennsylvania, University of
Texas (Austin), Brown University, Smith Kettlewell Eye Research
Institute, Salk Institute, Massachusetts General Hospital, City College
of New York, Washington University (St. Louis), University of Chicago,
University of Chicago, and University of Washington. Copies of the complaint and all relevant documents are available upon
request. -30- See also: Letter of
Complaint to the USDA about the unnecessary duplication of
experimentation on animal Return to
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