Criminal Story of a Prevention - Ukrainian Anti Cancer Institute

There had previously been a short period when the giants of the industry had courted
him. It was quite soon after the first sensational results for Ukrain had been published. Cancer
specialists discovered that there was a new drug which was completely non-toxic, which
enabled tumours and metastases to be seen due to its fluorescence, which attacked only cancer
cells while leaving healthy cells undamaged and which had no side effects such as hair loss or
nausea. It was then that a series of large pharmaceutical companies lined up to buy the patent
and Nowicky’s knowledge, offering what were enormous sums for a lone researcher – up to
one hundred million dollars.
The first was the company which produces Thiotepa, a substance required for the
production of Ukrain. The lure was 80 million dollars. Later, many others followed, including
such large concerns as Hoffmann-La Roche and Bristol Myers. In spite of increasing bids,
Nowicky obstinately refused all offers although at that time his own means were very limited.
Nowicky was unwilling to sell his invention at any price – incredible as that may seem in
view of the temptation of the enormous sums involved. He saw these offers as confirmation of
his work. Since then, he has attributed some difficulties which he has met on his way to the
long arm of the powers he had sent packing.
It is certainly doubtful whether some incidents were entirely within the law. While
writing his thesis and working in the laboratory at the Technical University, where Professor
Gutmann confirmed that he worked ‘like a man obsessed’, there were other unpleasant
occurrences apart from the theft of the six phials with samples. One of these was the
disappearance of all the alkaloids which he was investigating, not only from the laboratory
but also from the safe of the Technical University. Another was the wilful dilution of a
solution. He would have had to stand guard at his place in the laboratory day and night.
However, as though to compensate for these setbacks, Nowicky was greatly helped when a
cleaning lady moved one particular solution to a different place. His subsequent use of it cut
short potentially lengthy investigations.
However, as the time came for Nowicky’s oral examination for his doctorate, he had
to contend with more than small hindrances. In March 1993 Nowicky handed in six copies of
his dissertation to the university, as prescribed. From there his work was passed on to be
examined by Dr. Thomas Kroyer, a specialist in alkaloids, and Professor Gutmann. Both
confirmed to Nowicky that they could only evaluate his work positively. Professor Robert
Ebermann from the University of Agriculture, whose opinion Gutmann had asked, agreed.
The deanery fixed the examination date for 6 May 1993.
However, as Nowicky arrived on that day he was told that the examination had been
cancelled. He had previously received an informal telephone call informing him of this but
there was nothing in writing. It could have been a trick to make him miss the exam.
He began to understand better what was going on when he was given a form and asked
to name two new experts to evaluate his work.
The examination candidate, who had put on his best suit for nothing, decided not to
draw in his horns. He discovered from Gutmann that the deacon, Professor Stachelberger, had
instructed the two professors not to hand in written reports. Without a written – positive –
expert report candidates are not permitted to take the oral examination.
Nowicky found out that the deacon had told Gutmann that he (Gutmann) was no
alkaloid specialist and he could ‘embarrass himself’. Since Gutmann was an internationally
recognised chemist with several doctorates and was a co-author of specialist publications
covering 80% of the topics dealt with in Nowicky’s dissertation and was cited as a reference
in two others, this was simply incredible.
This was of course all of no use, since professors are bound by the instructions of their
deacon and could not help the rather desperate examination candidate who had been brought
down at the last hurdle. He now knew that he would lose another semester. In addition
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