A cancer researcher who recently retired from MD Anderson Cancer Center — and also recently lost seven papers from one journal following a multi-year investigation — is one of the world’s top scientists, according to a new ranking.
In Thomson Reuters Web of Science’s 2015 list of The World’s Most Influential Scientific Minds, Bharat Aggarwal’s name tops the section for Pharmacology and Toxicology (see p. 89). In all fairness, the list is presented in alphabetical order, and seven of Aggarwal’s papers have each been cited at least 1,000 times. But in addition to his recent seven retractions, he has has six corrections, two unexplained withdrawals, and two Expressions of Concern.
We contacted Thomson Reuters Web of Science to inquire, and a spokesperson told us:
We list all highly cited researchers in alphabetical order for the 21 fields covered in this report. This is why Dr. Aggarwal is at at the top of the list for the field Pharmacology and Toxicology.
We do pay attention to retracted articles and they are not counted. The methodology for identifying The Word’s Most Influential Scientific Minds 2015 is based on highly cited papers from 2003-2013. For more information read the methodology and purpose of this program.
There is a threshold of papers required for each of the 21 fields recognized in The World’s Most Influential Scientific Minds 2015. Dr. Aggrawal was selected for his research in toxicology. In the case of Dr. Aggarwal he has 17 highly cited papers, none of which have been retracted. Our threshold for highly cited papers in the field of Pharmacology and Toxicology is a minimum of five. In this case Dr. Aggrawal qualifies and it would not remove him from our list of highly cited papers.
Aggarwal has apparently moved on from MD Anderson — to the Anti-inflammation Research Institute in San Diego, where he is founder and director, according to a recent article in Times of India. We did a search for the facility, but were unable to find a website.
This week, the Houston Chronicle covered Aggarwal’s retirement and retractions, and included a comment from his lawyer:
Aggarwal’s attorney, Paul Thaler, said the researcher “stands behind the scientific soundness of each of his papers.” He acknowledged “some minor mistakes were made,” but said no retractions or expressions of concern were needed because the mistakes “had no effect on the integrity of the scientific conclusions in the paper.”
We have a long history with Aggarwal — after he told us in 2012 that MD Anderson was investigating his work, he later threatened to sue us for reporting on the case.
But there’s another twist to the story, and that’s the identity of the person stepping into Aggarwal’s endowed chair position (the Ransom Horne, Jr. Professorship for Cancer Research) at MD Anderson. That would be Keith Baggerly, whose name should be familiar to our readers: Baggerly is a bioinformatician who helped expose the flaws in the work by now-discredited cancer researcher Anil Potti.
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The spokesperson stated:
“We do pay attention to retracted articles and they are not counted.”
Surely the retractions should have a negative number associated with them.
Minus one? Any advance?
Citation for retraction actually adds into the impact factors of journals.
I don’t understand this Twist: “But there’s another twist to the story, and that’s the identity of the person stepping into Aggarwal’s endowed chair position (the Ransom Horne, Jr. Professorship for Cancer Research) at MD Anderson. That would be Keith Baggerly, whose name should be familiar to our readers: Baggerly is a bioinformatician who helped expose the flaws in the work by now-discredited cancer researcher Anil Potti.”.
Another piece of BS literature from Thomson Reuters.
Houston Chronicle link does not work.
A g**gle search returns the same url. Looks like the Chron pulled the story.
However, a Spanish version still exists at http://blog.chron.com/lavoz/2016/03/cientifico-del-md-anderson-acusado-de-fraude-se-retira/
The Houston Chronicle article appears to be back, recently updated.
http://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/M-D-Anderson-scientist-accused-of-falsifying-6865704.php
story is back online – subscription required, however.
Free link: http://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/M-D-Anderson-scientist-accused-of-falsifying-6865704.php?t=e656f7ac8f438d9cbb&cmpid=twitter-premium
Sending people off along dead-end research tracks is a kind of influence.
Retraction number 8.
Mol Pharmacol. 2011 Feb;79(2):279-89. doi: 10.1124/mol.110.067512. Epub 2010 Oct 7.
A novel pentamethoxyflavone down-regulates tumor cell survival and proliferative and angiogenic gene products through inhibition of IκB kinase activation and sensitizes tumor cells to apoptosis by cytokines and chemotherapeutic agents.
Phromnoi K1, Reuter S, Sung B, Prasad S, Kannappan R, Yadav VR, Chanmahasathien W, Limtrakul P, Aggarwal BB.
Author information
1Department of Experimental Therapeutics, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd, Box 143, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
2016 retraction notice.
http://molpharm.aspetjournals.org/content/90/1/64
“Following an internal investigation, Figures 1 and 3 of the article referenced above have been found to contain unacceptable image manipulation. Molecular Pharmacology has retracted this article.
Copyright © 2016 by The American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics”
Retraction number 9.
Mol Pharmacol. 2008 May;73(5):1549-57. doi: 10.1124/mol.107.041350. Epub 2008 Feb 20.
Flavopiridol suppresses tumor necrosis factor-induced activation of activator protein-1, c-Jun N-terminal kinase, p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), p44/p42 MAPK, and Akt, inhibits expression of antiapoptotic gene products, and enhances apoptosis through cytochrome c release and caspase activation in human myeloid cells.
Takada Y1, Sethi G, Sung B, Aggarwal BB.
Author information
1Cytokine Research Laboratory, Department of Experimental Therapeutics, Unit 143, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
2016 retraction.
http://molpharm.aspetjournals.org/content/90/1/63
“Following an internal investigation, the article referenced above has been found to contain inappropriate image manipulation in Figure 5A. In addition, the beta-actin loading controls shown in Figure 4A and B are identical, although they are presented as separate blots. Molecular Pharmacology has retracted this article.
Copyright © 2016 The American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics”