Former University of Maryland cancer researcher up to 21 retractions

Anil Jaiswal

Anil Jaiswal, who until a year ago was a cancer researcher at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, has had four more papers retracted.

That makes 21 for Jaiswal, who joins our leaderboard of the 30 researchers with the most retractions. All four new retractions appear in journals published by the American Association for Cancer Research, and are for image or data manipulation.

For example, here’s the retraction notice for “Aromatase Inhibitor–mediated Downregulation of INrf2 (Keap1) Leads to Increased Nrf2 and Resistance in Breast Cancer,” in Molecular Cancer Therapeutics:

This article (1) has been retracted at the request of the editors. Following an institutional review by the University of Maryland (Baltimore, MD), it was determined that data used in some of the figures cannot be supported. Specifically, the University’s versions on record of Fig. 1E do not match the final published Fig. 1E. The error bars in the published figure are markedly smaller than the University’s versions on record. Further analysis showed that histograms depicting averaged data may have been created from a single datum, some samples may have been disconnected from the analysis, and values for error bars were inappropriately set. University investigators also found that data were excluded from analyses presented in Fig. 3 of the published article. The statistical significance reported in the article is nullified when these data points are included. In addition, it was concluded that a number of duplicated data points found in the data were uncorroborated. The University investigators determined that the published figure does not support significant differences between MCF-7Ca and LTLT-Ca, or the authors’ hypothesis.

A copy of this retraction notice was sent to the last known email addresses for all seven authors, none of whom responded.

Two of the retracted papers — “Inactivation of the Quinone Oxidoreductases NQO1 and NQO2 Strongly Elevates the Incidence and Multiplicity of Chemically Induced Skin Tumors” and “Low and High Dose UVB Regulation of Transcription Factor NF-E2-Related Factor 2” — originally appeared in Cancer Research. One — “NRH:Quinone Oxidoreductase 2-Deficient Mice Are Highly Susceptible to Radiation-induced B-Cell Lymphomas” — appeared in Clinical Cancer Research.

The retractions were a long time coming. As we reported last year, the university requested that journals retract more than 20 papers by Jaiswal starting in August 2016. In September of this year, the AACR apologized for delays in correcting the record in a number of cases, although it did not name Jaiswal specifically.

In the meantime, since January 2017, at least two of the newly retracted papers have been cited a handful of times. Jaiswal left the university one year ago yesterday.

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8 thoughts on “Former University of Maryland cancer researcher up to 21 retractions”

    1. “University needs to pay back grant money with interest.”

      Universities. Retracted papers were at the request of University of Maryland, but some had been committed at Baylor College of Medicine”.

      Cancer Res. 2006 Sep 1;66(17):8421-9.
      Low and high dose UVB regulation of transcription factor NF-E2-related factor 2.
      Kannan S1, Jaiswal AK.
      Author information
      1
      Department of Pharmacology, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, Houston, TX 77030, USA.

      2018 retraction.
      http://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/78/21/6346

      Clin Cancer Res. 2009 Mar 1;15(5):1534-42. doi: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-08-1783 . Epub 2009 Feb 17.
      NRH:quinone oxidoreductase 2-deficient mice are highly susceptible to radiation-induced B-cell lymphomas.
      Iskander K1, Barrios RJ, Jaiswal AK.
      Author information
      1
      Department of Pharmacology, Baylor College of Medicine, and Department of Pathology, Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX, USA.

      2018 retraction.
      http://clincancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/24/21/5489

  1. Three retractions had been published by August 2014 for Anil K Jaiswal, http://retractionwatch.com/2014/08/14/university-of-maryland-duo-notches-third-retraction/

    yet the NIH still kept giving.
    http://grantome.com/search?q=anil+jaiswal

    NIH 2015
    R01 ES
    Quinone Oxidoreductases and Mammary Toxicity/Carcinogenenicity
    Jaiswal, Anil Kumar / University of Maryland Baltimore
    $334,125

    NIH 2015
    R01 ES
    Prevention of quinone toxicity and mutagenicity
    Jaiswal, Anil Kumar / University of Maryland Baltimore
    $337,500

    NIH 2016
    R01 ES
    Quinone Oxidoreductases and Mammary Toxicity/Carcinogenenicity
    Jaiswal, Anil Kumar / University of Maryland Baltimore
    $345,375

    Doesn’t the NIH keep tabs on retractions, or read this blog?

    1. Reply to phil says: November 3, 2018 at 12:56 pm
      “Some of AK’s colleagues are promoted. https://gsbs.uth.edu/faculty/faculty-directory/faculty-profiles.htm?id=07ba3ba1-92ae-403c-9c37-5b228cb9fadb

      Anil K Jain Assistant Professor, Department of Epigenetics and Molecular Carcinogenesis, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
      https://faculty.mdanderson.org/profiles/abhinav_jain.html
      has 5 retractions:-

      https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=jain+ak+retracted

      1. Src subfamily kinases regulate nuclear export and degradation of transcription factor Nrf2 to switch off Nrf2-mediated antioxidant activation of cytoprotective gene expression.
      Niture SK, Jain AK, Shelton PM, Jaiswal AK.
      J Biol Chem. 2011 Aug 19;286(33):28821-32. doi: 10.1074/jbc.M111.255042. Epub 2011 Jun 20. Retraction in: J Biol Chem. 2017 Feb 3;292(5):2048.
      PMID: 21690096 Free PMC Article

      2. Antioxidant-induced modification of INrf2 cysteine 151 and PKC-delta-mediated phosphorylation of Nrf2 serine 40 are both required for stabilization and nuclear translocation of Nrf2 and increased drug resistance.
      Niture SK, Jain AK, Jaiswal AK.
      J Cell Sci. 2009 Dec 15;122(Pt 24):4452-64. doi: 10.1242/jcs.058537. Epub 2009 Nov 17. Erratum in: J Cell Sci. 2010 Jun;123(Pt 11):1969. Retraction in: J Cell Sci. 2017 Feb 15;130(4):816.
      PMID: 19920073

      3. Phosphorylation and dephosphorylation of tyrosine 141 regulate stability and degradation of INrf2: a novel mechanism in Nrf2 activation.
      Jain AK, Mahajan S, Jaiswal AK.
      J Biol Chem. 2008 Jun 20;283(25):17712-20. doi: 10.1074/jbc.M709854200. Epub 2008 Apr 23. Retraction in: J Biol Chem. 2017 Feb 3;292(5):2050.
      PMID: 18434303 Free PMC Article

      4. Phosphorylation of tyrosine 568 controls nuclear export of Nrf2.
      Jain AK, Jaiswal AK.
      J Biol Chem. 2006 Apr 28;281(17):12132-42. Epub 2006 Mar 2. Retraction in: J Biol Chem. 2017 Feb 3;292(5):2051.
      PMID: 16513647

      5. Nuclear import and export signals in control of Nrf2.
      Jain AK, Bloom DA, Jaiswal AK.
      J Biol Chem. 2005 Aug 12;280(32):29158-68. Epub 2005 May 17. Retraction in: J Biol Chem. 2017 Feb 3;292(5):2052.
      PMID: 15901726 Free Article

  2. Executive Medical Director, Amgen Global Medical Affairs
    Re: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karim-iskander-bb07883
    Lineage includes Baylor College of Medicine.

    2 Karim Iskander retractions.
    1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19223498
    NRH:quinone oxidoreductase 2-deficient mice are highly susceptible to radiation-induced B-cell lymphomas.
    Iskander K, Barrios RJ, Jaiswal AK.
    Clin Cancer Res. 2009 Mar 1;15(5):1534-42. doi: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-08-1783. Epub 2009 Feb 17. Retraction in: Clin Cancer Res. 2018 Nov 1;24(21):5489. PMID: 19223498

    2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17545619
    NRH:quinone oxidoreductase 2 and NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase 1 protect tumor suppressor p53 against 20s proteasomal degradation leading to stabilization and activation of p53.
    Gong X, Kole L, Iskander K, Jaiswal AK.
    Cancer Res. 2007 Jun 1;67(11):5380-8. Retraction in: Cancer Res. 2015 Feb 1;75(3):615. PMID: 17545619

    3 other problematic Karim Iskander publications here:-
    image manipulation/image reuse
    https://pubpeer.com/publications/E835BD86FD5BAA71B3D0DA9D1CF148
    https://pubpeer.com/publications/DB0962CF1FE463AA7061AD720DC0AE
    Requested to be retracted by University of Maryland, Anil Jaiswal’s last employer.
    https://pubpeer.com/publications/77F40629ED8658C4D5EB7B628DDE5F

  3. Fernando, Thanks for the update.

    If funding organizations do not hear, that will be a pathetic situation. This will provide encouragement for such acts and it does not matter at all if investigated after 20 years. Never know, if there is a way to awake them.

  4. Public information, state employee.
    http://salaries-archive.news.baltimoresun.com/state/cy2014/?showvals=true&sortby=First%2BName&sortdirection=ASC&page=372&=
    First Name ANIL
    Middle Initial K
    Last Name JAISWAL
    Suffix
    Pay system (CT, RG or UM)† UM
    Agency Number 360221
    Organization Name UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND
    Organization Subtitle 360221-UMB
    Class Code 1212
    Salary/Pay scale* $260,076.10
    Pay type (hourly, annually or daily) A
    Date of hire (EOD) 2007-06-03
    Regular Earnings $258,798.43
    Overtime Earnings $0.00
    Other Earnings $6,666.66
    Gross Earnings** $265,465.09

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