SAN DIEGO >> A lawsuit by the University of California, San Diego, accuses a prominent Alzheimer’s disease researcher of illegally conspiring with eight colleagues to take research data and other assets with them when they moved from UCSD to the University of Southern California.

Scientist Paul Aisen left UCSD last month to head a new Alzheimer’s institute founded by USC in San Diego, bringing eight staffers with him.

The Los Angeles Times reported Sunday that the suit alleges Aisen and USC conspired to take federal funding, data and employees from UCSD’s Alzheimer’s center.

The suit accuses USC and the others of going beyond normal recruitment to commit a variety of illegal acts, including contract interference, computer crimes and civil conspiracy.

USC denied wrongdoing and said it simply successfully recruited a prestigious scientist.