At the same time, Trent was a paid consultant to RHeoGene Inc., which billed itself as a cutting-edge player in gene therapy technology. For nearly two years, RHeoGene posted on its Web site this accolade from Trent, while identifying him by his government title:
"[W]e need to focus on how nature regulates itself, which begins with genes. RHeoGene has technology to address key questions in these areas."
Trent's endorsement, which the company included in a news release issued May 30, 2001, clashed with conflict-of-interest rules of the National Institutes of Health, home of the genome institute.
Agency employees seeking approval for consulting deals sign a form saying, "The Outside Employer will not refer to the consultant or to an affiliation with NIH in anything distributed for publicity or product promotion."
The rule is intended to prevent the implication that the NIH is vouching for a company or its products. Agency officials said they relied on employees to police themselves in such circumstances.
In recent interviews and in written responses to questions from the Los Angeles Times, Trent, 51, said that he had tried to conduct himself properly.
"I do not recall making the quote attributed to me in the RHeoGene press release and was unaware that it was on the company's Web site until you brought it to my attention," he said.
The company's chief executive said any quoted statements from Trent were handled by prior management.
Trent had been hired by the NIH in late 1993, from the faculty of the University of Michigan. In his new role, he began overseeing all of the genome institute's basic laboratory research. And he was made chief of his own lab, specializing in cancer genetics. His federal salary as of last year was $194,300.
Trent was a paid consultant to several drug-development companies while employed at the NIH. From 1994 through 1996, Trent accepted between $50,608 and $163,000 in industry consulting fees, according to his yearly public disclosure reports.
One of his clients during that period was Amoco Technology Co., which paid him between $30,000 and $101,000. (Trent reported his fees in broad ranges.) He said that Amoco, a "holdover" client from before his arrival at the NIH, had focused on detecting genetic abnormalities and gene technology.
