Lawsuit: Missouri Professor Stole, Sold Student’s Research

The University of Missouri is accusing a pharmacy professor of stealing and selling a student’s research that the school says could become a billion-dollar drug.

The Kansas City Star reports that the university filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday alleging that Ashim Mitra improperly made $1.5 million from selling former graduate student Kishore Cholkar’s research. The lawsuit says Mitra could potentially earn $10 million more in royalties over the next five years.

Cholkar developed a more effective way to deliver drugs to the eye using nanotechnology.

The lawsuit says the money belongs to the university because Cholkar conducted his research while employed as a graduate research assistant at the Kansas City campus.

Mitra denies the accusations. Mitra has faced allegations in the past of coercing graduate students from India into performing personal favors, such as cleaning his basement.