Fergie's Tech Blog

Two Researchers Reach Deal in Harvard Science Data Theft

An AP newswire article, via ABC News, reports that:

Two researchers admitted on Thursday that they took scientific material from a Harvard University lab without permission and transported it to a new research job one of them had accepted in Texas.

The acknowledgment was part of a deal in which the U.S. Attorney's office agreed to defer prosecution of Jiangyu Zhu, 33, and Kayoko Kimbara, 35, on charges they transported more than $5,000 worth of stolen goods across state lines.

Zhu and Kimbara, who are married and now live in San Diego, both worked in a lab at Harvard Medical School's department of cell biology as postdoctoral research fellows. The couple was involved in research to develop immunosuppressive drugs to control organ rejection, and also to study the genes that regulate calcineurin, an important signaling enzyme in the heart, brain, and immune systems.

posted by Fergie @ 4/13/2006 06:26:00 PM