Dr Richard Axel, a molecular biologist and Nobel laureate, has announced that he is stepping down as the leader of a prestigious neuroscience institute at Columbia University over his ties to Jeffrey Epstein.

[…]

“My past association with Jeffrey Epstein was a serious error in judgment, which I deeply regret. I apologize for compromising the trust of my friends, students, and colleagues,” Axel wrote.

“I recognize the problems this has caused, and I will work to restore this trust. What has emerged about Epstein’s appalling conduct, the harm that he has caused to so many people, makes my association with him all the more painful and inexcusable.”

[…]

Axel’s name appears in the files more than 900 times, as previously reported by the Columbia Spectator.

The files include a 30 December 2011, one-way ticket for Axel and his wife, Cornelia Bargmann, to St Thomas, Virgin Islands, which is typically seen as the usual jumping-off point to reach Epstein’s nearby private island, Little St James, by helicopter.

The ticket was later voided, according to the Columbia Spectator, and a university spokesperson confirmed to the outlet that Axel and his wife never visited Epstein’s island.