This story is a collaboration between CBC News and the Investigative Journalism Foundation (IJF).

A celebrated Vancouver researcher used fabricated data and hid evidence of infected wounds to falsely claim his patented skin treatment could heal years-old bed sores in a matter of weeks, according to a leaked report.

If these results had been real, a product known as Meshfill would have been "close to miraculous" for people with spinal cord injuries, according to one expert. But investigators say they weren't real, and the public was never informed about an investigation that uncovered numerous examples of misconduct during a clinical trial for the liquid skin substitute.

The Investigative Journalism Foundation (IJF) and CBC News have obtained a 64-page report about University of British Columbia (UBC) plastic surgery professor Aziz Ghahary's actions during a pilot study for Meshfill. It lays out how he presented falsified results to the public on several occasions, violated conflict of interest guidelines and was even accused of bullying by another researcher.

The March 2021 document, which was written by a UBC-appointed investigative committee of three outside experts, says Ghahary "abandoned his scholarly integrity in his pursuit of his attempt to establish that Meshfill should be used as a treatment for chronic pressure ulcer wounds" — also known as bed sores. Despite his public claims of success, none of the pressure wounds in the pilot study had healed and some became infected.

"These false claims gave patients and funders false hope by falsely claiming that Meshfill had quickly healed chronic pressure ulcer wounds. He also potentially endangered the health of future human trial subjects when Dr. Ghahary falsely claimed that there had been no adverse effects during the pilot study," reads the report.

Ghahary left his job at UBC shortly after the investigation was completed in 2021. He'd worked there since 2005.

WATCH | Reporter Michelle Ghoussoub breaks down the report's findings: UBC plastic surgeon fabricated research study results, according to leaked report | Duration 5:23 A joint investigation by CBC News and the Investigation Journalism Foundation has uncovered a case of serious academic misconduct at the University of British Columbia, including allegations of falsifying results collected in a human trial. A UBC plastic surgeon claimed to have invented what could have been a miracle cure, but as Michelle Ghoussoub reports, when the university found the research to be compromised, the professor quietly retired.