ST. PAUL — Minnesota’s legislative auditor has positive words for changes in research on human subjects at the University of Minnesota.

Legislative Auditor Jim Nobles said the university is on the right track with changes since he said last year school officials had ignored “serious ethical issues” in their handling of Dan Markingson. Markinson was a psychiatric patient under the care of a university researcher, and killed himself while participating in a clinical drug trial.

The university responded to Nobles’ criticism by suspending enrollment in new drug trials and forming a task force to set new policies on handling human test subjects.

The school’s changes are ambitious and go beyond the Department of Psychiatry.

Nobles said the school is only about halfway into an 18-month plan.