Chinese Academy of Science Researcher Accused of Academic Plagiarism

What’s new: Yang Hui, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Neuroscience, has been accused of academic plagiarism for his study published in the journal Cell in April.

Fu Xiangdong, a professor of cellular and molecular medicine at the University of California, San Diego, reportedly accused Yang of plagiarizing a study on Parkinson’s disease that his team submitted to the journal Nature in November 2018, according to a letter (link in Chinese) circulating online. Fu’s study was published last month.

In response to the controversy, the Institute of Neuroscience said Friday in a statement (link in Chinese) that it will investigate the matter and disclose any findings to the public. In his own statement (link in Chinese) Friday, Yang said he’s cooperating with the investigation.

What’s the background: Fu, 62, said in the letter that he had presented the unpublished results and design of his study at a briefing that Yang attended at the Institute of Neuroscience in June 2018. Yang dined with Fu afterward and later consulted him about the study, according to the letter.

According to Cell’s website, it received Yang’s study in August 2019, accepted it in March and published it in April.

A previous version of this story gave Fu’s incorrect age. He is 62.

Quick Takes are condensed versions of China-related stories for fast news you can use. To read the full Caixin article in Chinese, click here.

Contact reporter Timmy Shen (hongmingshen@caixin.com) and editor Michael Bellart (michaelbellart@caixin.com)