UC San Diego sues USC over funding and data in Alzheimer’s study

SAN DIEGO (KUSI) – USC and a nationally recognized Alzheimer's researcher were sued by UC San Diego for conspiring to take funding, data, and employees related to studying the disease from the latter school to the former.

The suit alleges that researcher Paul Aisen and eight of his colleagues knowingly conspired to take data and other material from a UC San Diego Alzheimer's study center in a move up to USC. Aisen had left UC San Diego in June to lead a new San Diego-based Alzheimer's study group founded by USC.

While lawsuits in the area of recruitment are typically rare, the new suit states that USC went above and beyond normal recruitment routines and committed illegal acts, including computer crimes and civil conspiracy.

According to UCSD, they have been deprived of access to data and other research because of Aisen, and could lose several hundreds of millions of dollars in funding.

USC expressed disappointment in the suit, and Aisen did not immediately provide a comment to the allegations.