The recession may increase potential conflicts of interest in science: a comment on ''A delicate diplomatic situation': tobacco industry efforts to gain control of the Framingham study'.

摘要

The present global economic recession has created a budget crisis in many sectors within higher education with long-term consequences [1]. Academic scientists of all stripes may be facing a climate of limited resources and financial constraints. Even before the recession, private entrepreneurship and financial ties to the private sector were increasing [2]. The current budget situation may encourage scientists to seek even more financial support for their work from the corporate sector.But scientists should carefully consider the implications of establishing financial ties and/or receiving research support. The story of the Framingham Heart Study investigators, as reported in this issue by Cataldo, Bero, and Malone, is a cautionary tale of what may result when seeking research funding. The Framingham Heart Study was promised federal funding for about 20 years beginning in 1948, when cardiology was in infancy [3].