Alzheimer's-Focused Cassava Sciences Faces Controversy as Key Collaborator Accused of Scientific Misconduct

Cassava Sciences Inc SAVA, the Alzheimer-focused firm, is facing further controversy as a recent investigation by the City University of New York (CUNY) has implicated neuroscientist Hoau-Yan Wang, a long-time collaborator of Cassava, in scientific misconduct related to 20 research papers. 

These papers were crucial in advancing simufilam, the company's lead Alzheimer's program, from the laboratory to ongoing clinical trials.

The CUNY investigative committee uncovered several instances of improperly manipulated images, particularly in a 2012 publication in The Journal of Neuroscience, which suggested that simufilam could mitigate the pathological effects of beta-amyloid, a protein associated with Alzheimer's disease. 

Additionally, the Science report pointed out that Lindsay Burns, Cassava's Senior Vice President for Neuroscience and a co-author on several papers, shared primary or partial responsibility for potential misconduct or scientific errors.

Unfortunately, the investigation could not definitively prove its suspicions as Dr. Wang did not provide the original raw data. 

Instead, the committee concluded that the findings of wrongdoing were based on "long-standing and egregious misconduct in data management and record-keeping by Dr. Wang."

The inquiry into Dr. Wang's conduct began in 2021 following allegations forwarded by the Office of Research Integrity, the federal body overseeing NIH-funded research. 

In a statement, Cassava Sciences said CUNY's report makes no findings of data manipulation. Rather, the "egregious misconduct" cited in the report relates exclusively to internal record-keeping failures at CUNY. 

The report also finds that internal record-keeping failures "prevented us [CUNY] from making an objective assessment" of the allegations of research misconduct.

Last year, the U.S. Justice Department opened a criminal investigation into Cassava Sciences on whether it manipulated research results for its investigational Alzheimer's drug.

Last August, the Journal of Prevention of Alzheimer's Disease informed Cassava Sciences about no convincing evidence to support data manipulation allegations in a 2020 paper on simufilam co-authored by the company's personnel and its science collaborators.

Price Action: SAVA shares are down 24.60% at $13.23 during the premarket session on the last check Friday.