In August 2021, Matthew Schrag, a neuroscientist and physician at Vander-bilt University, got a call that would plunge him into a maelstrom of possible scientific misconduct. A colleague wanted to connect him with an attorney investigating an experimental drug for Alzheimer's disease called Simufilam. The drug's developer, Cassava Sciences, claimed it improved cognition, partly by repairing a protein that can block sticky brain deposits of the protein amyloid beta (Ap), a hallmark of Alzheimer's. The attorney's clients-two prominent neuro-scientists who are also short sellers who profit if the company's stock falls-believed some research related to Simufilam may have been "fraudulent," according to a petition later filed on their behalf with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
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