Former prof fudged dozens of images, says university

On Dec. 2, 2013, Alison Lakin, the research integrity officer at the University of Colorado Denver, received a concerning email. The emailer was alleging several problems in a 2012 paper in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, co-authored by one of its high-profile faculty members. Lakin discussed the allegations with some administrators and agreed they had … Continue reading Former prof fudged dozens of images, says university

Harvard diabetes researcher retracts third paper

A prominent diabetes researcher based at Harvard Medical School has retracted a third paper, citing manipulation of multiple figures. Late last year, Carl Ronald Kahn—also chief academic officer at Joslin Diabetes Center—retracted two papers for similar reasons. In November, Kahn pulled a 2005 paper from The Journal of Clinical Investigation (JCI) and a month later, he retracted a 2003 paper from The … Continue reading Harvard diabetes researcher retracts third paper

Three figures in blood pressure paper were manipulated, says journal

A pharmacology journal has retracted a 2011 paper after concluding images in three figures had been manipulated. According to the British Journal of Pharmacology, four of the five authors claim they played no role in the manipulation. There is no comment from the remaining author, first author Ian Morecroft, a research associate at the University of … Continue reading Three figures in blood pressure paper were manipulated, says journal

Journal flags another paper by diabetes researcher who sued to stop retractions

It would seem that resorting to legal means to avoid editorial notices doesn’t always work. We’re coming to that conclusion after seeing yet another notice for Mario Saad, based at the University of Campinas in São Paulo, Brazil. In this case, it’s an expression of concern from the Journal of Endocrinology, on a 2005 paper that … Continue reading Journal flags another paper by diabetes researcher who sued to stop retractions

Cancer biologist stops research as his retraction count rises to 13

A cancer biologist based at the University of Maryland is transitioning out of research, as a journal has retracted three more of his papers. Anil Jaiswal has now lost 13 papers, including, as we reported on February 6, six retractions issued earlier this month. The Baltimore Sun reported this week that Jaiswal would no longer … Continue reading Cancer biologist stops research as his retraction count rises to 13

Researcher loses 4th paper flagged by misconduct probe

A researcher in Germany has logged her fourth retraction following an investigation by her former employer that found evidence of scientific misconduct. The latest retraction for Tina Wenz in the Journal of Applied Physiology mentions the probe at the University of Cologne in Germany, which recommended retracting six of her papers. One had already been … Continue reading Researcher loses 4th paper flagged by misconduct probe

High-profile Science paper retracted for misconduct

Science has retracted a high-profile immunology paper after a probe concluded the corresponding author had committed misconduct. The paper — which initially caught media attention for suggesting a protein could help boost the immune system’s ability to fight off tumors — has been under a cloud of suspicion since last year, when the journal tagged … Continue reading High-profile Science paper retracted for misconduct

A paper was published in 2015; the authors already lost the data

The authors of a 2015 study have retracted it after discovering that several Western blots in their paper “do not represent the experiments that were reported.” They couldn’t check some of the original blots, because — according to the retraction notice in the American Journal of Physiology – Renal Physiology — they could not be located. … Continue reading A paper was published in 2015; the authors already lost the data

Two Harvard-led groups pull well-cited cancer papers for duplication

Two sets of authors based largely at Harvard Medical School have each retracted a paper for duplication in the same journal. Both papers — which are more than a decade old — were pulled in The Journal of Clinical Investigation on November 1 by their respective corresponding authors. One paper’s last author told us it … Continue reading Two Harvard-led groups pull well-cited cancer papers for duplication

Prominent heart researcher dismissed by Ontario university; colleagues appeal

Earlier this month, Morris Karmazyn, an award-winning cardiovascular researcher who’s published hundreds of papers, was called into a meeting with the office of faculty relations at the University of Western Ontario, and terminated. The reason? A series of image problems in some of his papers, raised by a former member of his lab. When Karmazyn, Canada … Continue reading Prominent heart researcher dismissed by Ontario university; colleagues appeal