Virus theft raises alarms in São Paulo state

In the current climate, the last thing anyone needed was a story about scientists sneaking virus samples out of a high-security lab. Well, that’s just happened in Brazil.

Federal Police this week arrested Soledad Miller, an Argentine-born researcher affiliated with the University of Campinas (Unicamp, one of Latin America’s most prestigious universities), on suspicion of stealing biological samples from the university's virology lab. The material had been missing for 40 days. It turned out to be located no more than around 350 meters away, spread across three university labs where Miller had no authorized access.

Miller's husband, Michael Edward Miller — a veterinarian pursuing a doctorate in genetics and molecular biology at Unicamp — is also under investigation, though authorities have not specified his alleged role. The couple co-owns a biotech company called Agrotrix Biotech Solutions. Her defense has said she did not commit theft, arguing she was merely using borrowed lab space because she lacked her own.