Search Results for: "western blots"

Weekend reads: Dogs removed from controversial research facility; ‘an unacceptable idea’; ‘blind spots on western blots’

Would you consider a donation to support Weekend Reads, and our daily work? Thanks in advance. The week at Retraction Watch featured: Journal retracts paper listed on authorship for sale site following Retraction Watch report How citation cartels give ‘strategic scholars’ an advantage: A simple model Kale ‘miracle food’ paper retracted for being ‘word salad’ After we … Continue reading Weekend reads: Dogs removed from controversial research facility; ‘an unacceptable idea’; ‘blind spots on western blots’

Author pulls Diabetes paper with duplicated Western blots

A researcher has retracted a paper from Diabetes after re-using some Western blots in one of the figures from other papers. According to the retraction notice, the first and corresponding author — Eric Berglund, formerly at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee — contacted the journal himself to report the error, for which he takes full responsibility. … Continue reading Author pulls Diabetes paper with duplicated Western blots

Bogus Western blots lead to retraction of cancer paper

A group of Italian researchers has retracted their 2013 paper on colorectal cancer because one of the authors, they, say, was tinkering with the data. The article, “PBOX-15 induces apoptosis and improves the efficacy of oxaliplatin in human colorectal cancer cell lines,” appeared in the European Journal of Pharmacology in August. The first author was … Continue reading Bogus Western blots lead to retraction of cancer paper

“Serious irregularities” in Western blots lead to retraction of brain chemistry paper

The Journal of Neuroscience has retracted a 2009 article by a group from Mount Sinai (now the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai) for suspicious Western blots. The paper, “Requirement for Protein Synthesis at Developing Synapses,” came from the lab of Deanna Benson, a Parkinson’s expert. According to the abstract, which is still available … Continue reading “Serious irregularities” in Western blots lead to retraction of brain chemistry paper

Can we trust Western blots?

The title of this post is the headline of our latest column for LabTimes. It’s inspired by a number of animated discussions on Retraction Watch following our coverage of various Western blot problems — some unintentional, and some, well, less so. Take, for example, this comment, which we quote in the column:

Harvard researcher’s work faces scrutiny after private equity deal

Just as a Harvard lab brought in tens of millions of dollars in private equity funding to pursue new treatments for obesity, past research from its lead investigator has come under fresh scrutiny.  Last month, the lab of Gökhan Hotamışlıgil, a professor of genetics and metabolism at Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health, secured … Continue reading Harvard researcher’s work faces scrutiny after private equity deal

Biochemist with previous image duplication retractions loses another paper 

A researcher who retracted two papers last year following a years-long investigation has lost another, this one two decades old. The same journal also corrected two papers for image duplication within days of the retraction. The moves followed comments about image similarities on PubPeer. The retraction marks the third for biochemist Dario Alessi, a professor … Continue reading Biochemist with previous image duplication retractions loses another paper 

Former Italian university head faces retractions and criminal investigations

A prominent Italian pharmacologist under investigation for embezzlement and rigging university contracts has garnered a dozen and a half retractions in the last year for image alterations and duplications. But Salvatore Cuzzocrea, the former rector of the University of Messina, told us he did not agree with the retractions because they were decided “without clear … Continue reading Former Italian university head faces retractions and criminal investigations

Kidney researcher debarred from federal U.S. funding for image manipulation

A former Baylor College of Medicine researcher has been debarred from federal funding for two years after a review by the Office of Research Integrity found evidence of misconduct. Liping Zhang, a former assistant professor in the school’s nephrology section, “engaged in research misconduct in research supported by U.S. Public Health Service (PHS) funds,” according … Continue reading Kidney researcher debarred from federal U.S. funding for image manipulation

Undisclosed conflicts, lightning-fast peer review: One Alzheimer’s journal’s role in a failed drug

Retraction Watch readers are likely familiar with the work of Charles Piller, an award-winning investigative reporter who has been covering problematic research in neuroscience and other fields for Science. We’re pleased to offer an excerpt of his new book, Doctored: Fraud, Arrogance, and Tragedy in the Quest to Cure Alzheimer’s, which publishes today. The Journal … Continue reading Undisclosed conflicts, lightning-fast peer review: One Alzheimer’s journal’s role in a failed drug