Scientist using dogs in controversial study explains for the first time what was going on – CBC
His lab was shut down but now two ethics committees say animal abuse allegations were ‘unsubstantiated’
Feb 04, 2026
The lead scientist at the centre of a controversial cardiac study performed on dogs is defending the importance of his work for the first time since his London, Ont. lab was shut down and Ontario’s premier threatened to ban canines in research.
Frank Prato gave an exclusive interview to CBC London after learning two separate animal ethics committees had cleared him of all animal abuse allegations.
In August, an article by the Investigative Journalism Bureau and Postmedia, revealed that scientists from Lawson Research Institute were secretly inducing three-hour heart attacks in dogs and puppies before euthanizing them and removing their hearts for further study.
The research, conducted at St. Joseph’s Hospital in London, was kept under wraps with the animals allegedly wheeled into the hospital in blanket-covered crates, as loud music played to drown out their barking, according to the article that cited whistleblowers.
