A biotechnology company is suing the University of Pittsburgh over a test for prostate cancer, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported last week. The lawsuit claims the test is "no more accurate in distinguishing cancerous tissue from normal tissue than flipping a coin," according to the newspaper.

After researcher Robert Getzenberg said he had identified a new biomarker for prostate cancer in 2001, the University of Pittsburgh patented the marker and investors spent millions to found a company called Onconome to develop and market it.

Six years later, Redmond, Wash.-based Onconome discovered that the entire claim was based on "imaginary" and manipulated results, the lawsuit claimed -- during that time, Getzenberg had been leaving out the data that "was inconsistent with his claims."

Onconome is suing the university for failing to properly supervise Getzenberg's research, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. The university told the newspaper it doesn't comment on pending litigation, and the paper couldn't reach Getzenberg for comment. Getzenberg is now the research director of Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions in Baltimore, Md., the overarching organization that includes the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the Johns Hopkins Health System.

(Hat tip -- ScienceInsider)


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