'[The] University of Tokyo plans to make public this week a report indicating that Kazunari Taira, a professor of biochemistry engineering, fabricated a scientific paper on human enzyme experiments, sources said Saturday.

…[H]e stated that his research team had succeeded in having E. coli bacteria produce a human enzyme called Dicer -- so called as it dices RNA -- by implanting a Dicer gene in a plasmid.

If true, it would have been the first time that the gene had been successfully produced by E. coli bacteria.

…[T]his and 11 other scientific experiments involving Taira's team cannot be reproduced...

…Taira initially told the panel he did not have notes or samples for the experiment …He has denied any involvement, saying his assistant conducted both the original experiment and the reproduction.'