It should not shock or surprise that an occasion of great malfeasance on the part of one may be the impetus to heroism in another. I was recently informed of a situation that shows both the darkness and light that resides within us.
First, let us examine the darkness. More tha 117 patients were enrolled in clinical trials at Duke University, conducted by Dr. Anil Potti. His work had offered the hope of using cDNA microarrays to individualize cancer treatments. Sadly, it has turned out that much of the work by Dr. Potti was falsified. After investigations by the Institute of Medicine, Potti’s collaborator, Dr. Joseph Nevins was forced to take a closer look at the data. CBS News reported in a “60 Minutes” segment:
Fearing that reality, Joseph Nevins, whose own reputation was at stake, reviewed the original data which had justified the clinical trials for 112 patients. Dr. Nevins discovered that when the underlying data disproved Dr. Potti’s theory, the data were changed.
Nevins: “It became clear that there was no explanation other than there was a manipulation. A manipulation of the data, a manipulation of somebody’s credentials and a manipulation of a lot of people’s trust.”
The bright spot in this story is the courage of a young man who stood up for the truth. In 2008 a medical student named Bradford Perez, who was doing research in Potti’s lab exposed these misdeeds in a report that he presented to administrators at Duke University Medical School. He decided to take his name off all papers published by Potti, and repeat his research year at Duke in a different lab. His concerns apparently were initially covered up, and it took two additional years before the clinical trials were halted.
An outside reviewer had high praise for Perez:
“The medical student was very brave,” said Arthur Caplan, director of the Division of Medical Ethics at the NYU Langone Medical Center, who was asked to review the materials cited in this story. “That was quite an act of courage.
“I have a feeling his lowly status made him someone that they would be able to hope would just go away,” Caplan said. “There was a little bit of don’t-let-the-door-hit-you-on-the-way-out.
“Perez can look at himself in the mirror. Every day. But he paid the price.”
You can read more about Anil Potti and Bradford Petez at Cancer Letter.