From: Nature
The secret war against counterfeit science
China has a lucrative market for fake research reagents. Some scientists are fighting back.
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China is famous for knock-off DVDs, Louis Vuitton bags and Rolex watches. But counterfeit reagents aren’t on sale in busy public markets. They are sold through sophisticated websites, mixed in with legitimate supplies, and sourced and sold using a network of unwitting partners, such as the Zhongguancun shopkeeper. Even university cleaning staff have been implicated in the hidden process that creates counterfeit laboratory products, including basic chemistry reagents, serum for cell culture and standard laboratory test kits. Although it’s difficult to quantify the effects of this illegal trade, Chinese scientists and some in Europe and North America say that fake products have led them astray, wasting time and materials.
Some in China fear that the problem could undermine the country’s efforts to become a world leader in science. Options for combating the counterfeiters are limited. Reagent companies whose brands are tarnished — and the scientists taken in by fakes — shy away from legal action, partly because of embarrassment and partly because they have little faith that law-enforcement agencies can make much of a dent in the trade. “You cannot stop them from trying. The profit margin is just too high,” says Huang.
