Texas_Vampires
Texas Vampires
1998 Canadian research ethics scandal
The Texas Vampires were a name given to a group of researchers from Baylor College of Medicine who in 1998 conducted a study on arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia (ARVD) among the population of Grand Falls-Windsor, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The study team was led by Dr. Robert Roberts (cardiologist), who was president and CEO of the University of Ottawa Heart Institute from 2004 to 2014.[1][2]
Because of the settlement pattern and isolation of the province's population, Newfoundland has clusters of certain genetic conditions, making it a focus of research in genetics. In 1998, one such cluster emerged in the community of Grand Falls-Windsor, where a number of people were found to have ARVD and some died of the condition. A group of researchers from the Baylor College of Medicine arrived in Newfoundland to study the community.[3] The group collected blood samples, family histories and electrocardiographs (EKGs) from community members in order to test for a particular biomarker indicating a genetic predisposition to the condition.[4]