Researcher loses PhD after investigation finds he faked data

Researchers in Singapore have lost a 2011 paper in Gene Therapy after an institutional investigation found that some of their data had been fabricated by a PhD student on the project.

Most of the authors were affiliated with the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, a unit of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR). 

The article, “Targeted suicide gene therapy for glioma using human embryonic stem cell-derived neural stem cells genetically modified by baculoviral vectors,” purported to show that: 

human embryonic stem cells could potentially serve as a clinically viable source for production of cellular vehicles suitable for targeted anticancer gene therapy.

But according to the retraction notice: 

The editor has retracted this article [1] following an investigation by Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, Singapore, which found evidence of fabricated animal survival data presented in Fig. 7C in the article to make the results statistically significant. DHL, JY, JL, CKT, WHN, and SW agree to this retraction. YZ has agreed to this retraction but not to the wording of this retraction notice.

A*STAR said in a statement to Retraction Watch:

One of the authors, DH Lam, was a PhD student working under the supervision of S Wang, also an author on the Gene Therapy paper. Lam voluntarily admitted that he fabricated data.

A formal investigation committee was convened. The committee accepted Lam’s admission that he had fabricated data. The committee also found that his supervisor, Wang, had not adequately supervised Lam, and disciplinary action was taken. As a consequence of the findings, it was deemed necessary that 5 publications which incorporated Lam’s fabricated data and which he co-authored be retracted. 

Wang left A*STAR in July 2019. We understand that Lam’s PhD was revoked.

We asked A*STAR for a list of the tainted papers but have yet to receive it. Our database now includes three of Lam’s retractions, including the one in Gene Therapy.

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