Prosthetic researchers are reported for suspected misconduct by Chalmers


A mind-controlled prosthesis was portrayed as a success. But the fact that one of the experimental patients was close to death was not mentioned. Now one of the researchers is being reported for suspected misconduct.

An arm prosthesis that is controlled with the power of thought – and is also developed in Sweden. A case study published in 2020 described the attempt as successful, but important information had been leaked, revealed Recent Research and Advances.

Suffered from sepsis

In the case study, the researchers wrote that none of the four trial participants suffered any serious complications. But the claim applied to only three of the four test patients.

Read more: Researchers foreshadowed severe complications of prostheses

The fourth, who according to the researchers had dropped out of the evaluation, suffered life-threatening injuries.

– I got sepsis and they don’t write anything about that. They followed me up. Until it went to hell, the patient says Research and Progressand denies that he left the study.

Chalmers starts an internal investigation

Now one of the researchers has been reported for suspected misconduct to the state board Npof, the board for examination of misconduct in research. The application is signed by Stefan Bengtsson, rector of Chalmers University of Technology, writes Dagens Medicin. Chalmers has also started an internal investigation.

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The researcher who has been reported gives his view on the matter in an email to Dagens Medicin, and writes that it is good that the investigation is done to “remove the accusations”.

“We have evidence to show that the fourth patient was never included in the article […], even before the patient had complications. We have followed all the rules in this research and everything has been reported, the researcher writes to the newspaper.

Researcher: The damage has been reported

One of the researchers behind the article in the scientific journal, Rickard Brånemark, has previously regretted that the complications were omitted from the report. The scientific article is now being updated, he says to Dagens Medicin.

The complications experienced by the fourth patient have not been hidden on purpose, emphasizes Rickard Brånemark. They have been presented at several scientific conferences and the patient will also be included in a wider report on 16 patients that is not yet finished.


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