Science Reveals Army Investigation of AIDS Vaccine Researcher

SCIENCE REVEALS ARMY INVESTIGATION
OF AIDS VACCINE RESEARCHER
A News & Comment article by Jon Cohen in the 6 November issue
of Science reveals that the United States Army has launched an
investigation focusing on Lt. Col. Robert Redfield, an AIDS
researcher who has received much attention for his studies with
AIDS vaccines in already infected people.
The investigation will question the way Redfield and others in
his lab at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research interpreted
data from human trials of a therapeutic AIDS vaccine made by the
Connecticut biotechnology company MicroGeneSys. Specifically, the
investigation will attempt to determine whether Redfield and
others overstated the importance of the data at scientific
meetings.
Insiders have told Science that the investigation is linked to
Congress's decision last month to allocate $20 million to the
Department of Defense for the large-scale testing of the
therapeutic MicroGeneSys vaccine. A Science investigation last
month exposed how, with the help of high-powered lobbyists,
MicroGeneSys convinced Congress to allocate the money. The
appropriation has outraged AIDS researchers, activists, and even
members of Congress, who perceive it as an end-run around the
peer review process. The National Institutes of Health has called
together a blue-ribbon meeting for 5 November to discuss the
appropriation and the issues it raises.
Because of the timing of this meeting, Science is lifting the
embargo on the Army investigation story. For copies, call the
Office of Communications at 202/326-6440.
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