'Meat' scientist may face firing: MUSC letter offers Mironov chance to settle issues first

The Charleston "meat" scientist whose lab at the Medical University of South Carolina was mysteriously shut down in mid-February will be fired Friday unless he agrees to a host of settlement conditions the university outlined Feb. 25 in a letter obtained by The Post and Courier.

Dr. Vladimir Mironov, the Russian-educated scientist who had been leading an internationally recognized project to grow in-vitro meat from an animal's stem cells, was suspended Feb. 11.

University officials have released no details of the sudden shutdown, which left a handful of researchers unable to work. MUSC spokeswoman Heather Woolwine has said only that Mironov is on indefinite paid leave pending the results of an investigation into "a series of issues."

And although the university already has made a settlement offer in writing, Woolwine said Monday that Mironov is "still under investigation at this point and I reconfirmed this morning that there is no new information to provide at this time."

Mironov said he plans to reject the offer, which expires at noon Friday. At that time, the university "will terminate Dr. Mironov's employment for cause immediately," according to the letter.

Mironov's attorney, Allan Holmes, declined comment Monday.

In its settlement offer, the university -- which required Mironov to get an attorney following his suspension -- said it would:

--Cover Mironov's legal expenses and provide him full pay and benefits -- he earns $78,600 for his duties as an associate professor -- through June 30.

--Allow Mironov to "resign as opposed to being terminated," effective June 30.

--Forbid Mironov from entering the MUSC campus, unless he is seeking medical attention.

--Provide Mironov with a recommendation from Dr. Roger Markwald, the chairman of the Regenerative Medicine Department and one of two MUSC officials to announce the meat lab shutdown.

--Let Markwald decide whether to retain the researchers who worked in Mironov's lab.

In exchange, Mironov would agree not to sue the university and would "refrain from any further comment to the media about his employment at MUSC or any aspect of his separation from the university," according to the letter.

The other provisions of the settlement apparently involve Mironov's future role in a separate project: the "organ biofabrication" project, a $20 million effort that aims to create human organs from a person's own stem cells. Mironov was among the scientists who pioneered the methods for conducting that research, according to reports.

Mironov said in his original request to MUSC on Thursday that he wants a "robotic bioprinter to be leased to Harvard University in 2012 for one year." At Harvard, he would "be on one year MUSC paid sabbatical ... and never return back to MUSC," according to the request.

A Harvard spokesman was unable to confirm late Monday whether arrangements for Mironov had been made.

The university's offer puts Markwald in charge of deciding the "appropriateness of the installation of the requested equipment at MUSC or elsewhere."

Markwald, who is the lead scientist for the organ biofabrication project, did not return an e-mail seeking comment Monday.

The National Science Foundation awarded the five-year, $20 million grant for the project in 2009. The project involves staff members at 10 colleges in the state.

A spokeswoman for the National Science Foundation could provide no updates late Monday.

Mironov said he has about a dozen domestic and international trips planned through October that involve discussions on the biofabrication research. It is unclear what his future role in the project will be.

Mironov's future role in the meat research also remains unclear.

The meat lab has attracted national and international exposure in the past month, following the arrival of a new researcher whose work is being funded by the animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

PETA, hoping to reduce the number of animals killed for human consumption, gave a three-year grant to Nicholas Genovese in an effort to make so-called "cultured meat" available to the general public.

Genovese said Monday that he will continue the meat research and is "in the process of sorting out alternatives" that could take the meat lab to another university. He said he hopes to continue working with Mironov.

"Just because we're not working in the same place, we can still collaborate," he said, acknowledging the shutdown has been "a major setback after just a few months of research."

PETA President Ingrid Newkirk, who is traveling abroad, could not be reached for comment.

Reach Renee Dudley at 937-5550.