Who is David Sabatini?

There has been a fair amount of talk recently about David Sabatini, an MIT scientist, whose mug is shown here. Hedge fund manager Bill Ackman is now financing his research.

According to the local paper of MIT, the Boston Globe, Sabatini is "a biologist who once generated Nobel Prize buzz."

Before going any further into the reason for the recent talk: what was the reason for the Nobel Prize buzz that preceded it "once"?

It involved the study of rapamycin, a natural antibiotic found in the soil of Easter Island. In 2009, Sabatini received the Paul Marks Prize for Cancer Research for the study of rapamycin's anti-tumor effects.

The more recent development? Two years ago the University investigated charges of sexual harrassment by Sabatini and he was placed on leave. The investigators concluded that Sabatini had violated its policies and it recommended his tenure be revoked. He said in essence "you can't fire me, I quit."

Now (so says the Boston Globe) Sabatini wants his comeback. He claims that the accuser, a graduate student, pursued him sexually. When he rejected her, she became vindictive -- hence the charges.

All of that is under dispute in the usual charges and countercharges. In the meantime, one might wonder: who is looking out for the cancer patients of the future? The folks who might benefit by years of continued life from an understanding of why rapamycin seems to counter-act the development of tumors? Yes: MIT can and should enforce its policies in such matters, and a biomed lab can be as toxic a working environment as any other. And no, I doubt that Sabatini is indispensable. There are lots of other very bright people pursuing the anti-cancer cause.

But in this case, the "cause" is a very targeted one. There may be only a few people in the world who are up to date on the latest research regarding rapamycin and the implications of that research for eventual application in human tissue.

Are there any mechanisms in place in the biomed world for seeing to it that someone among those few picks up the torch?

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