Russian scientist working on COVID-19 vaccine plummets to death in St. Petersburg

by **Admin** Sun Dec 20, 2020 9:49 pm

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Russian scientist working on COVID-19 vaccine plummets to death in St. Petersburg

by Admin Sun Dec 20, 2020 9:49 pm

A prominent Russian scientist who was working on a COVID-19 vaccine was found dead with a stab wound after plummeting out his window in St. Petersburg, according to news reports.

Alexander “Sasha” Kagansky, 45, was in his underwear when he fell to his death from his 14th-floor apartment, according to the Russian newspaper Moskovsky Komsomolets.

The scientist also suffered a stab wound, police said.

Police believe there was a scuffle before Kagansky fell from the building, reports said.

Russian police say they are investigating Kagansky’s death as a possible homicide and questioning a 45-year-old man as a potential suspect, e2news.com said.

Kagansky, best known for his work on cancer research, was an assistant professor in Vladivostok and had spent 13 years working in Edinburgh, Scotland, until 2017, the outlet said.

He was most recently working as director of the Center for Genomic and Regenerative Medicine at Russia’s Far Eastern Federal University.

He had been working on developing a vaccine against the coronavirus, e2news said.

Kagansky’s body was found by a neighbor on Zamshin Street, the report said.

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by **Admin** Sun Dec 20, 2020 9:54 pm

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Re: Russian scientist working on COVID-19 vaccine plummets to death in St. Petersburg

by Admin Sun Dec 20, 2020 9:54 pm

Professor researching COVID-19 killed in apparent murder-suicide, police say

N'dea Yancey-Bragg
USA TODAY
May 6, 2020

A University of Pittsburgh professor who was "on the verge of making very significant findings" about COVID-19 was fatally shot in Pennsylvania over the weekend, authorities say.

Bing Liu, a 37-year-old research assistant professor, was found dead in a home Saturday with gunshot wounds in his head, neck, torso and an extremity, according to the Allegheny County medical examiner.

An hour later, a second person, 46-year-old Hao Gu, was found dead in a vehicle less than a mile away, according to the agency.

Investigators believe Gu killed Liu in his home before returning to his car and taking his own life, Detective Sgt. Brian Kohlhepp of the Ross Police Department said in a statement.

Police believe the men knew each other and that the homicide was "the result of a lengthy dispute regarding an intimate partner," Kohlhepp said.

"We have found zero evidence that this tragic event has anything to do with employment at the University of Pittsburgh, any work being conducted at the University of Pittsburgh and the current health crisis affecting the United States and the world," Kohlhepp said.

Kohlhepp said because those involved were not United States citizens, the police department's review is being forwarded to federal authorities.

'We'd like to get this into patients":Researchers in Pittsburgh have developed a potential coronavirus vaccine

Liu earned a Ph.D. in computational science from the National University of Singapore, studied as a postdoctoral fellow at Carnegie Mellon University and went on to become a research associate at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

In a statement, his colleagues described him as a "prolific researcher" who published more than 30 papers and was an "excellent mentor."

"Bing was on the verge of making very significant findings toward understanding the cellular mechanisms that underlie SARS-CoV-2 infection and the cellular basis of the following complications," the statement said. "We will make an effort to complete what he started in an effort to pay homage to his scientific excellence."

The university also released a statement saying it "is deeply saddened by the tragic death of Bing Liu, a prolific researcher and admired colleague at Pitt. The University extends our deepest sympathies to Liu’s family, friends and colleagues during this difficult time."

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