R. Wayne Alexander, a cardiology researcher at Emory whose lab has retracted four papers following university investigations, has notched retractions five and six.
Here’s the notice from Circulation Research:
For the paper by Masuko Ushio-Fukai, Yan Tang, Tohru Fukai, Sergey I. Dikalov, Yuxian Ma, Mitsuaki Fujimoto, Mark T. Quinn, Patrick J. Pagano, Chad Johnson, and R. Wayne Alexander (Novel role of gp91 phox-containing NAD(P)H oxidase in vascular endothelial growth factor–induced signaling and angiogenesis. Circ Res. 2002;91:1160–1167; DOI: 10.1161/01.RES.0000046227.65158.F8), after an investigation by an Emory University Investigation Committee, the Committee found evidence of manipulation of digital images used in the article regarding Figure 3B that cause this to be incorrect representation of the data. The Committee was unable to attribute responsibility for the image manipulation to any specific individual.
The editors, therefore, hereby retract the paper.
That paper has been cited 325 times, according to Thomson Scientific’s Web of Knowledge.
And here’s the one from Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology:
For the paper by Masuko Ushio-Fukai, Kathy K. Griendling, Peter L. Becker, Lula Hilenski, Sean Halleran, and R. Wayne Alexander (Epidermal growth factor receptor transactivation by angiotensin II requires reactive oxygen species in vascular smooth muscle cells. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2001;21:489–495; DOI: 10.1161/01.ATV.21.4.489), after an investigation by an Emory University Investigation Committee, the Committee found evidence of manipulation of digital images used in Figure 2A, 2B, 2C; Figure 4A; and Figure 6B that cause these to be incorrect representations of the data. The Committee was unable to attribute responsibility for the image manipulation to any specific individual.
The editors, therefore, hereby retract the paper.
The paper has been cited 210 times.
Alexander stepped down as chair of Emory’s department of medicine in June after 14 years.
I worked in a neighboring lab. As far as I remember, the day to day affairs in the lab were supervised by Kathy Griendling. Wayne was a very popular and greatly respected dept chair, who really built the research department.
Masuko Ushio-Fukai worked her tail off–days and nights. Unbelievable high work ethic. I hope this has nothing to do with her.
I suspect that somewhere in that list of six co-authors is a post-doc with a mentor whose inattention permitted this to happen..ORI investigations have been able to identify such scenarios but mentors are rarely, if ever,held responsible. Were the individual and the inadequate training program penalized, there would be fewer such publications.
Don Kornfeld
What is sad is that all the authors – including those who did their work in good faith and described it fairly – will be tainted by the retraction. What I don’t get is why the committee could not establish who provided the dodgy images. While it is not reasonable for the senior author to be intimately involved with every detail, he should know who contributed what, so where those images came from. Assuming that is the case, did he include them knowing that they were manipulated beyond what is acceptable. Sounds to me like the Prisoners’ Dilemma being played out.
Circ Res. 1998 Nov 2;83(9):952-9.
Angiotensin II induces monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 gene expression in rat vascular smooth muscle cells.
Chen XL1, Tummala PE, Olbrych MT, Alexander RW, Medford RM.
Author information
1
Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.
Figure 2.
See: https://imgur.com/jw2lTTO
Figure 5A.
See: https://imgur.com/KDetG9k
Figure 6.
See: https://imgur.com/EpbJtaq