The Journal of Clinical Investigation is retracting a 2004 paper by a cancer researchers from Italy because of “evident misrepresentation of data and image duplication.”
Here’s the notice for “The IL-12Rβ2 gene functions as a tumor suppressor in human B cell malignancies:”
It has come to our attention that multiple gel images in Figure 1A were inappropriately duplicated from a previous publication (Airoldi I. et al. Expression and function of IL-12 and IL-18 receptors on human tonsillar B cells. J Immunol. 2000;165(12):6880–6888) in violation of JCI editorial policy. The experimental results presented in Figure 1A were intentionally mislabeled as representing total tonsil B lymphocytes and naive, GC, and memory B cells from the same tonsil, in contrast with the sample labeling in the previous publication. The JCI editorial board is retracting this article due to the evident misrepresentation of data and image duplication. No issues have been raised in regard to any of the other data in this manuscript.
The paper has been cited 48 times, according to Thomson Scientific’s Web of Knowledge.
Pseudonymous whistleblower Clare Francis contacted the journal about the issues in the paper in November of last year.
The senior author of the paper has these entries at Pubpeer:-
J Clin Invest. 2004;113(11):1651–1659. The topic of this post.
https://pubpeer.com/publications/15173892
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2007 Mar 6;104(10):3996-4001.
https://pubpeer.com/publications/17360466
PLoS One. 2009 Jul 1;4(7):e6119.
https://pubpeer.com/publications/19582164
Cancer Res. 2006 Apr 15;66(8):3978-80.
https://pubpeer.com/publications/16618714
Br J Cancer. 2004 Jun 1;90(11):2210-8.
https://pubpeer.com/publications/15150552
Br J Cancer. 2003 May 19;88(10):1527-36.
https://pubpeer.com/publications/12771917
Neoplasia. 2004 Sep-Oct;6(5):558-68.
https://pubpeer.com/publications/15548365
Senior author of J Clin Invest. 2004;113(11):1651–1659 also has this entry at Pubpeer:
Clin Cancer Res. 2005 Jan 15;11(2 Pt 1):735-42.
https://pubpeer.com/publications/15701863
Senior author of J Clin Invest. 2004;113(11):1651–1659 also has this entry at Pubpeer:
Neoplasia. 2006 Oct;8(10):833-42.
https://pubpeer.com/publications/C3110D52003332DE7C0F46DE944BDF#fb10607
Wonderful, JCI is indeed the scientific journal to praise read, cyte and buy!!!! I wish other respecful journal such as Science, The large Nature family J., Cell, … had the same ability to listen and act! So much time and money wasted on what cannot be called “science”!!! It is like christie’s was auctioning at the same starting price a photograph made by Robert Mapplethorpe and one of my selfies!! How long will it take to Christie’s to get out of business? Anyhow Many Thanks to Clare Francis and to JCI
JCI does take notice.
http://retractionwatch.com/category/by-journal/journal-of-clinical-investigation/
The wording of their retraction notices can be quite explicit.
http://retractionwatch.com/2013/11/18/retraction-appears-for-italian-cancer-specialist-facing-criminal-investigation/