The Paolo Macchiarini Case
ResourcesThe Paolo Macchiarini Case
What is this about?
Paolo Macchiarini was considered a pioneer in the field of regenerative medicine using both biological and synthetic scaffolds seeded with patients’ own stem cells as trachea transplants. Macchiarini has been accused of research misconduct and unethically performing experimental surgeries, even on relatively healthy patients. Six of the eight patients who received one of his synthetic trachea transplants have died. Also, accusations have been published that Macchiarini had falsified some of his academic credentials on résumés[1]. This is a factual case.
Why is this important?
The Royal Swedisch Academy of Sciences spoke of a ‘crisis of confidence in Swedish medical research’ after the Karolinska Institute, where Macchiarini worked, first stated that Macchiarini was found guilty of research fraud, but was found not guilty by the second inquiry. As a result of the case, several measures have been planned by Karolinska Institute. The measures include teaching research integrity to junior scientists, new procedures in cases of suspected scientific misconduct and a compulsary log book for research documentation[1] .
