A well-known Japanese scientist involved in a research paper scandal committed suicide, police said Tuesday.
Yoshiki Sasai, 52, was found hanging inside the stairwell of a government-affiliated science institute RIKEN, in Kobe, western Japan. Sasai, a stem-cell research scientist, was deputy chief of RIKEN's Centre for Developmental Biology, Japan's most esteemed research institute.
He recently co-authored and supervised research papers on so-called STAP cells that were found to be fabricated. The research, which appeared in the journal Nature, was retracted in July following the scandal.
The research claimed that they successfully transformed ordinary mouse cells into adaptable stem cells by exposing them to a mildly acidic environment.
Satoru Kagaya, head of public relations at RIKEN, said at a news conference that two suicide notes were found on the desk of Sasai's secretary and three other notes were found along with the body. However, the contents of the letters were not disclosed "considering the deep sorrow that Sasai's family must be feeling at this point," reports The Japan Times.
Kagaya also did not say whether the letters were addressed to Haruko Obokata, a researcher whose work was the prime focus of the scandal. Sasai supervised Obokata's research, which brought hopes to grown transplant tissue in the lab. It was also praised as "game-changer," according to the Agence France-Presse.
According to Sasai's colleagues at RIKEN, Sasai sought mental counseling following the disclosing of the malpractice. Kagaya said that Sasai was even hospitalized for around a month in March because of the stress. However, he supposedly recovered.
An investigation by RIKEN into falsifying of the research papers found Sasai guilty of not confirming to the study data. RIKEN later held Obokata accountable for fabricating the research. Sasai had said he was "deeply ashamed" because of the accusations. "It has become increasingly difficult to call the STAP phenomenon even a promising hypothesis," he said in a statement.
