The Baltimore Case

8/10/2019 The Baltimore Case

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The Baltimore CaseThe Fraud Case that Evaporated

The New York Times


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Whistle-blower

TheAccused


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Prof. David Baltimore

Discovery of reverse transcriptase

An enzyme essential to the replication of many virus, includingHIV.

Awarded the Nobel Prize in physiology ormedicine in 1975

Pioneer in virology

NAS Award in Molecular Biology (1974)


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Highlights of the affair

A paper co-authored by Nobel Prize winning scientistDavid Baltimore was suspected of containing fraudulent

data

NIH funded experiments conducted at the WhiteheadInstitute, a lab associated with the MIT and TuftsUniversity

Paper retracted by four of the six authors

Involvement of Politicians and Media set up heatedarguments

Shook the Scientific, Journalistic and Governmentalcommunities

Case took 10 years to resolve, and involved the Secret

Service and the Office of Scientific Integrity (OSI); nowORI


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The Controversial Publication


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Origin of the case

OToole dismissed from the Lab

M.I.T. and Tufts University investigates the charges

An informal report which grabbed the attention of the NIH

Attempt to repeat some of the experiments failed while some others gavediscrepant values

Accusation by a Post Doc Margot OToole


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More Players get in

A NIH panel started investigation in 1987 and in1989reported

no evidence was found of fraud, misconduct, manipulation ofdata or serious conceptual errors

Walter Stewart and Ned Feder supported byCongressman John Dingell took over the case

The US Secret Service also joined hands

A fracas broke out as Politicians and Media cameinto the arena


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I commend Dr. O'Toole for her

courage and her

determination, and I regret

and apologize to her for my

failure to act vigorouslyenough in my investigation of

her doubts

Baltimore regrets fraud; 1991

The Office of Scientific Integrity (OSI) 1991

Imanishi-Kari had falsified and fabricated data

Baltimore and three co-authors retracted the paper

Imanishi-Kari and Moema H. Reis did not sign the retraction

More Comments get in


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In my mind you can make up

anything that you want in your

notebooks, but you can't call it

fraud if it wasn't published.

The OSI criticized remarks made

by Baltimore

Prof. Baltimore resigns Presidentship of Rockfeller

University


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Contrasting Events

May 1993 Researchers at Stanford and Columbia Universities say

they have confirmed the results of the initial Cell paper.

December 1994 The ORI final report

Concluded that Imanishi-Kari fabricated data in theCell paper

She tried to cover up those fabrications with

additional deceptions.

Imanishi-Kari barred for 10 years from receiving anyfunds.


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June 21, 1996

The Departmental Appeals Board

panel finds that ORI did not prove

misconduct by Imanishi-Kari. The panel canceled the proposed 10-

year ban from funding

Contrasting Events


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Media Involvement

The story was given front pagecoverage by The New York Times in

1991

The case became symbolic of the

larger question whether scientists can

be trusted to police themselvesThe Washington Post


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Books with Detailed Documentation of

the Infamous Baltimore Case

Sarasohn- A Washington-basedjournalist for Legal Times

Focus on the personalities and politicsof the scandal

Emotions of the players involved arediscussed

A story of human frailties and strengths for abroad audience

End notes:

Victory of scientific integrity

Vindication of O'ToolePub Date: Oct. 12th, 1993


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Books with Detailed Documentation of

the Infamous Baltimore Case

Daniel J. Kevles:

A historian of science at the CaliforniaInstitute of Technology (Caltech)

Slanted in favor of Baltimore andagainst whistleblower OTooleand congressman Dingell

Conclusive evidence of thedangers of governmentinterference in the ethicaloversight of the research process

Pub Date: 1998


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After 10 long years

In 1996

NIH Panel reports

The paper did not contain fraudulent data, but

errors that both co-authors later acknowledged

Imanishi-Kari was exonerated and Baltimore went

on to helm California Institute of Technology.


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Prof. Baltimore,

on vindication;

1996

I believe this is a

victory for scienceand rational analysis


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Points to Ponder

Baltimore should have paid closer attention to the research that was beingdone under his supervision, given he had been listed as an author

More protection for whistle blowers

Had initial investigators conduct a more thorough and careful inquiry, 10years would not have been taken

Which to consider? Scientific or legal standards of evidence

Role of politicians, scientists and the media

Poor record keeping- Irresponsible or Unethical?


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References

http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/18009/title/Multiple-

Investigations/

http://tech.mit.edu/V111/N25/balt.25n.html

The Baltimore affair: a different view By Karen Shashok;

INTERNATL MICROBIOL (1999) 2:275278

Springer-Verlag Ibrica 1999

Kevles, Daniel J. (1998). The Baltimore Case: A Trial of Politics,

Science, and Character . New York: W. W. Norton.

Sarasohn, Judy. (1993). Science on Trial: The Whistle-blower,the Accused, and the Nobel Laureate . New York: St. Martin's

Press.
http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/18009/title/Multiple-Investigations/http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/18009/title/Multiple-Investigations/http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/18009/title/Multiple-Investigations/http://tech.mit.edu/V111/N25/balt.25n.htmlhttp://tech.mit.edu/V111/N25/balt.25n.htmlhttp://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/18009/title/Multiple-Investigations/http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/18009/title/Multiple-Investigations/http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/18009/title/Multiple-Investigations/http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/18009/title/Multiple-Investigations/http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/18009/title/Multiple-Investigations/


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The Baltimore Case

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