Mistake Ignites NIH Review

RALEIGH — A mistake by a congressional staff member ignited a review of research projects approved by the National Institutes of Health. But despite what U.S. Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., called “scientific McCarthyism,” it turned out Congress had not declared war on the NIH approval process. Someone from Congress sent the agency a list of hundreds of questionable projects, prompting the agency to undertake a review of those studies. A few days after the list was sent, the sender was revealed as a mere staff member for the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.