A professor at the VU teaching hospital has been given a formal reprimand for using dna material from female patients for commercial purposes without their permission, the NRC has reported.

Chris Meijer also failed to mention his commercial interests in six academic journals, in one research proposal and in his recommendations about the national cervical cancer screening programme, the paper said.

The LOWI, the highest Dutch body for academic integrity, said in its ruling that Meijer had ‘contravened scientific integrity’ with his actions, the NRC said.

Meijer first hit the headlines in 2015 when the NRC reported he was involved in three companies which stood to benefit from the government’s planned switch to self-testing kits for cervical cancer and had kept this secret.

Meijer had lobbied hard for the introduction of the self-screening kits and was a member of the national health council at the time.

The VU teaching hospital told the NRC it did not plan to take any further action against Meijer, despite the LOWI reprimand.