Neuroscientist resigns from Columbia amid revelations about Epstein ties

Nobel laureate Richard Axel announced resignation as co-director of Columbia University's neuroscience institute

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.

Axel, who has taught at Columbia for 53 years, said in a statement on Tuesday that he would be leaving his post as co-director of the university's Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute to focus on research and teaching in my lab".