Eric Lam, a highly-published cancer specialist, has been fired from his post at Imperial College London following a university investigation that found misconduct, Retraction Watch has learned.
Lam’s work has been the subject of scrutiny on PubPeer for some three years, dating back to a 2018 post pointing out suspicious images in a 2003 paper by him and his colleagues in the Journal of Biological Chemistry. In 2019, his group corrected a 2011 paper in Oncogene, a Springer Nature title, for image problems.
However, the new retraction marks the first such retraction for the researcher, whose LinkedIn page states that he is now affiliated with Sun Yat-Sen University, in China. According to an Imperial College London spokesperson:
We commissioned a thorough independent investigation following allegations of research misconduct against Dr Eric Lam. We found a clear case of research misconduct, and Dr Lam has been dismissed from Imperial College London. We contacted the journal Cell Death and Disease to retract this paper and informed Dr Lam’s funders of our decision.
The panel considered a number of allegations relating to several papers by Dr Lam, but only found evidence of research misconduct in relation to this paper and only sought this retraction.
The paper, “FOXM1 modulates 5-fluorouracil sensitivity in cholangiocarcinoma through thymidylate synthase (TYMS): implications of FOXM1–TYMS axis uncoupling in 5-FU resistance,” appeared in Cell Death & Disease in December 2018 and has been cited 15 times, according to Clarivate Analytics’ Web of Science.
According to the retraction notice:
The Editors-in-Chief have retracted this article at the request of Imperial College London. An investigation concluded that there are a number of concerns with this article, specifically:
Figure 2B represented technical repeats, and not biological repeats as is implied by the legend.
Figure 4A: the second and third panel representing results of the KKU-D131 cells have been altered to bring them more in line with other test results, though this was not declared in the article. Additionally, similar concerns were also raised regarding the 5th and 6th bars in the E2F1 mRNA and TYMS mRNA panels.
Figure 7B: the underlying data for this figure has been manipulated.
The article suggests that the Western blots and RT-qPRC results in Figures 4 and 7 came from contemporaneous experiments. However, the investigation found that the western blotting and the mRNA determinations had been performed by different researchers more than a year apart.
Paula Saaveedra [sic] Garcia and Chun-Fui Lai agree with this retraction. Eric Lam, Stafania Zona, Kulthida Vaeteewoottacharn, Chawalit Pairojkul, Sakda Waraasawapati, Vor Luvira, Sopit Wongkham, Somchai Pinlaor and Kitti Intuyod disagree with this retraction. Shang Yao, Jay-Sze Yong, Sasanan Trakansuebkul and Yannasittha Jiramongkol have not responded to correspondence regarding this retraction.
Like Retraction Watch? You can make a one-time tax-deductible contribution or a monthly tax-deductible donation to support our work, follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, add us to your RSS reader, or subscribe to our daily digest. If you find a retraction that’s not in our database, you can let us know here. For comments or feedback, email us at [email protected].
It’s interesting when some of the authors agree with the retraction and some don’t. Did some of them know all along that somebody else on the team had committed fraud??
I can imagine a rogue post doc or PhD but the number of concerns identified in this paper strongly suggests it has been orchestrated by the lead, or atleast they was fully aware. It’s hard peering through someone else’s data, making sense of it all and identifying discrepancies so if the university were able to do this then Dr. Lam must have been at the very least aware of potential problems even if he has the benefit of doubt not being directly part of it. Dr. Lam and everyone involved in active authorship (aside from any name only authors) would have known for example that experiments were years(s) apart as it would have been presented to them at the time.
Mol Cancer Ther . 2009 Mar;8(3):582-91. doi: 10.1158/1535-7163.MCT-08-0805. Epub 2009 Mar 10.
Gefitinib (Iressa) represses FOXM1 expression via FOXO3a in breast cancer
Ursula B McGovern 1, Richard E Francis, Barrie Peck, Stephanie K Guest, Jun Wang, Stephen S Myatt, Janna Krol, Jimmy M-M Kwok, Andreas Polychronis, R Charles Coombes, Eric W-F Lam
Affiliations collapse
Affiliation
1Cancer Research UK Labs, Department of Oncology, Imperial College London, MRC Cyclotron Building, Imperial College School of Medicine at Hammersmith Hospital, Du Cane Road, London W12 0NN, United Kingdom.
PMID: 19276163 DOI: 10.1158/1535-7163.MCT-08-0805
Problematic data figure 1A leftmost 4 actin panels much more similar than expected, yet leftmost 4 EGFR and leftmost 4 Total FOXO3a panels different.
https://imgur.com/zfhNWdN
Mol Cancer Ther. 2010 Apr;9(4):844-55. doi: 10.1158/1535-7163.MCT-09-0971. Epub 2010 Apr 6.
SIRT inhibitors induce cell death and p53 acetylation through targeting both SIRT1 and SIRT2
Barrie Peck 1, Chun-Yuan Chen, Ka-Kei Ho, Paolo Di Fruscia, Stephen S Myatt, R Charles Coombes, Matthew J Fuchter, Chwan-Deng Hsiao, Eric W-F Lam
Affiliation
1Cancer Research-UK Laboratory, Department of Surgery and Cancer, MRC Cyclotron Building, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, Du Cane Road, London W12 0NN, UK.
PMID: 20371709 DOI: 10.1158/1535-7163.MCT-09-0971
Problematic data figure 4B.
Left SIRT2 and left Tubulin panels look very similar and are likely different exposures of the same blot, yet right SIRT2 and right Tubulin panels look quite different.
Ac-Tubulin and Tubulin panels do not look like they come from the same blot.
Modified and unmodified protein bands should be superimposable.
https://imgur.com/9QnpmYA
Mol Cancer Res . 2010 Jan;8(1):24-34. doi: 10.1158/1541-7786.MCR-09-0432. Epub 2010 Jan 12.
FOXM1 confers acquired cisplatin resistance in breast cancer cells
Jimmy M-M Kwok 1, Barrie Peck, Lara J Monteiro, Helma D C Schwenen, Julie Millour, R Charles Coombes, Stephen S Myatt, Eric W-F Lam
Affiliation
1Cancer Research-UK Laboratories, Department of Oncology, Medical Research Council Cyclotron Building, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, Du Cane Road, London W12 0NN, United Kingdom.
PMID: 20068070 PMCID: PMC2809047 DOI: 10.1158/1541-7786.MCR-09-0432
Figure 6C. Much more similar than expected.
https://pubpeer.com/publications/0C5F99E1AC3E1483B880AC5D247B46#4
Also appears in PhD Thesis.
https://pubpeer.com/publications/0C5F99E1AC3E1483B880AC5D247B46#5
2 examples of very similar FACS profiles in PhD Thesis.
https://pubpeer.com/publications/0C5F99E1AC3E1483B880AC5D247B46#6
2021 retraction for:
Respir Res. 2018 May 9;19(1):85. doi: 10.1186/s12931-018-0788-x.
The anti-proliferative and anti-inflammatory response of COPD airway smooth muscle cells to hydrogen sulfide
Mark M Perry 1, Bernadett Tildy 2, Alberto Papi 3, Paolo Casolari 3, Gaetano Caramori 4, Karen Limbert Rempel 5, Andrew J Halayko 5, Ian Adcock 2, Kian Fan Chung 2
Affiliations
1
School of Pharmacy & Biomedical Sciences, University of Portsmouth, St. Michael’s Building, White Swan Road, Portsmouth, PO1 2DT, UK. [email protected].
2
Airways Disease, National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College, London & Royal Brompton NIHR Biomedical Research Unit, London, SW3 6LY, UK.
3
Sezione di Medicina Interna e Cardiorespiratoria, Centro Interdipartimentale per lo Studio delle Malattie Infiammatorie delle Vie Aeree e Patologie Fumo-Correlate (CEMICEF, formerly termed Centro di Ricerca su Asma e BPCO), Università di Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy.
4
Unità Operativa Complessa di Pneumologia, Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche, Odontoiatriche e delle Immagini Morfologiche e Funzionali (BIOMORF), Università degli Studi di Messina, Messina, Italy.
5
Departments of Internal Medicine & Physiology, Respiratory Hospital, Sherbrook Street, Winnipeg, MB, R3A 1R9, Canada.
PMID: 29743070 PMCID: PMC5944010 DOI: 10.1186/s12931-018-0788-x
2021 retraction notice.
Retraction to: Respiratory Research (2018) 19:85 https://doi.org/10.1186/s12931-018-0788-x
The Editors-in-Chief have retracted this article. After publication concerns were raised about two of the figures, specifically:
In Figure 3a, the MPST blot for non-smokers appears to be the same as the CBS blot for smokers.
In Figure 5a, the beta-actin blot for smokers appears to be the same as the beta-actin blot for smokers in Figure 3c in a previous article [1].
An investigation by Imperial College into the integrity of these images was unable to reach a conclusion as it was established that the raw data and images from this study are not available for examination; it was therefore recommended that the article be retracted.
Bernadett Tildy, Alberto Papi, Paolo Casolari, Gaetano Caramori, Karen Limbert Rempel, Andrew J. Halayko, Ian Adcock and Kian Fan Chung agree with this retraction. Mark Perry has not responded to correspondence from the Publisher about this retraction.
Reference
1.
O’Leary L, Sevinç K, Papazoglou IM, Tildy B, Detillieux K, Halayko AJ, Chung KF, Perry MM. Airway smooth muscle inflammation is regulated by microRNA-145 in COPD. FEBS Lett. 2016;590:1324–1334.
Re: retracted paper Respir Res. 2018 May 9;19(1):85.
Co-author Ian Adcock has extensive Pubpeer record.
https://pubpeer.com/search?q=ian+adcock
Senior author Kian Fan Chung has fiar sized Pubpeer record.
https://pubpeer.com/search?q=Kian+Fan+Chung
Figure 5 J Exp Med . 1995 Dec 1;182(6):1951-8. doi: 10.1084/jem.182.6.1951.
much more similar and different to figure 7 Am J Physiol . 1995 Feb;268(2 Pt 1):C331-8. doi: 10.1152/ajpcell.1995.268.2.C331.
than expected.
See: https://imgur.com/ECbhAOW
J Exp Med . 1995 Dec 1;182(6):1951-8. doi: 10.1084/jem.182.6.1951.
Abnormal glucocorticoid receptor-activator protein 1 interaction in steroid-resistant asthma
I M Adcock 1, S J Lane, C R Brown, T H Lee, P J Barnes
Affiliation
1Department of Thoracic Medicine, National Heart and Lung Institute, London, United Kingdom.
PMID: 7500041
Am J Physiol . 1995 Feb;268(2 Pt 1):C331-8. doi: 10.1152/ajpcell.1995.268.2.C331.
Effects of glucocorticoids on transcription factor activation in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells
I M Adcock 1, C R Brown, C M Gelder, H Shirasaki, M J Peters, P J Barnes
Affiliation
1Department of Thoracic Medicine, National Heart and Lung Institute, London, United Kingdom.
PMID: 7864072 DOI: 10.1152/ajpcell.1995.268.2.C331