North Macedonia’s Health Ministry has set up a working group to examine claims that human brain samples were sent from the country to the United States for scientific research, Health Minister Azir Aliu said on Tuesday.
The move follows public attention generated by documents linked to convicted financier Jeffrey Epstein, in which North Macedonia is referenced as a source of brain tissue allegedly used in U.S.-based experiments.
Aliu told the daily Koha that the review would focus on administrative records covering the period from 1994 to 2015, when cooperation with Columbia University in New York was active.
“We have held meetings within the ministry and formed a working group that will track the administrative aspect of this period, including whether there were memorandums or formal agreements related to scientific research or analysis,” Aliu said.
“At the moment this remains in the realm of speculation, but we are obligated to examine every piece of information we receive, formal or informal, to determine whether it is accurate,” he added.
Aliu said the ministry would make the findings public at a press conference once the review is completed, citing transparency and public trust as key priorities.
The working group will also assess whether proper documentation existed, whether consent was obtained from families, and whether legal and ethical standards were respected, the ministry said earlier.
According to available information, three state-run psychiatric hospitals — Bardovci, Demir Hisar, and Negorci — were involved in a long-running research project with Columbia University. Macedonian pathologists and forensic experts worked with U.S. researchers to develop a brain tissue analysis method known as “Neo-Golgi”.
The technique was described in a 2013 scientific paper co-authored by Aleksei Duma, Gorazd Rosoklija, and Andrew J. Dwork, which reported analysis of more than 200 brain tissue samples taken from over 170 autopsies.
One of the authors, Rosoklija, previously said the samples originated from a joint collection maintained by psychiatric institutions in North Macedonia and New York, mostly involving individuals with psychiatric conditions.
North Macedonia’s public prosecutor’s office has not yet commented on whether it will open a formal investigation.