MT.Sinai (Riyad Hasan)
VERMIN: His former colleagues say Dr. Mosher Hosseinknani’s alleged switcheroo of lab rats at Mount Sinai probably sent years of valuable stem-cell research down the drain. (
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A Mount Sinai Medical Center researcher who rearranged lab rats out of spite compromised ground-breaking heart stem-cell experiments that were years in the making and impossible to immediately replicate, stunned scientists told The Post yesterday.
Cardiology fellow Dr. Mohsen Hosseinkhani’s firing in June for allegedly faking research triggered an alleged revenge attack on two rat labs, one source said yesterday — a stunning breach of security.
“I’m furious,” said one researcher at the famed Cardiovascular Research Center in Manhattan. “There’s a good chance he ruined everything. It takes years and years to breed these rats.”
The mad scientist allegedly broke into the buildings last July 1 and again on Monday, switching rats in the basement of the neurobiology department and a second building — and swiping about $10,000 worth of cardiology research equipment that could have been peddled on the black market, one source said.
“He took everything in our fridge [in a genetics lab],” said researcher Audrey Au. “Three whole boxes of antibodies — we don’t have the money to replace that! The samples were completely random, he couldn’t have used them for anything.”
But another researcher explained the genetic material was of value for research purposes and could theoretically be sold on the black market.
“And then he just came again a week ago and steals a bunch of pipettes!” Au added, estimating the chemical droppers’ value at $200 each.
One heart researcher said Hosseinkhani allegedly forged data for two years on his heart-cell regeneration research.
“I saw some of his work. It was total bulls—t,” said the scientist, who would only give his name as Eric. “He just wasn’t smart enough, and he didn’t want to get fired. So he faked it.”
But a high-placed person in the the Dr. Arthur M. Fishberg Research Center for Neurobiology said Hosseinkhan was still able to obtain work in that department.
“I heard he had some problems in cardiology, and that he had been let go from one of the labs,” said this person. “But he was still in the system, and it was nothing final. He was internally transferred.”
The neurobiology official said it was from two separate labs in the basement of that building where Hosseinkhani allegedly pulled the rat switch.
“They caught him on video messing with the mice,” said another researcher.
A spokesman for Mount Sinai declined to comment beyond a previous statement that the doctor had no contact with patients, and that Mount Sinai was cooperating in the investigation.
Hosseinkhani is due in court next week.
