Researcher to Plead Guilty in AIDS Vaccine Falsification Case
According to court documents cited by the Des Moines Register, former Iowa State University researcher Dong-Pyou Han will plead guilty to charges of research fraud.
In 2013, Han said he had faked the results of experiments dealing with an AIDS vaccine, leading to his resignation from the university. The falsification of research data and tampering with rabbit blood samples made it appear that the vaccine was preventing the development of AIDS in the animals, meaning millions of dollars in federal grants for Han’s team.
Han was indicted by a federal grand jury in June on four felony accounts of making false statements, according to the Register, which could mean prison time.
Currently, Han’s defense lawyer is looking to delay the initial Feb. 2 start date for Han’s trial, citing language difficulties, a health issue, and travel costs as reasons, the Register reports.
- With files from the Des Moines Register
