Search Results for: pubpeer

Harvard biofilm paper in Cell breaks down after challenged findings can’t be repeated

Researchers at Harvard have retracted a Cell paper on biofilm disassembly after they repeated the experiment—following contradictory results from another team—and the new results “can no longer support” the original conclusions. The 2012 paper, “A Self-Produced Trigger for Biofilm Disassembly that Targets Exopolysaccharide,” describes a factor called norspermidine, produced by the bacteria Bacillus subtilis, that appeared to break … Continue reading Harvard biofilm paper in Cell breaks down after challenged findings can’t be repeated

Third retraction for GWU biologist as university seeks to dismiss his $8 million lawsuit

Cancer biologist Rakesh Kumar has chalked up another retraction, this time for “identical,” “duplicated,” and “replicated” figures and images. It comes on the heels of a flurry of motions in Kumar’s $8 million lawsuit against his employer, George Washington University, for breach of contract and emotional distress because it removed him as department chair last year and … Continue reading Third retraction for GWU biologist as university seeks to dismiss his $8 million lawsuit

Former postdoc suing lab head for publishing paper he says he wrote, without his name

A pharmaceutical researcher is suing his postdoctoral advisor and former business partner, accusing him of publishing a paper in PLoS Biology they wrote together, and removing him as an author. According to the complaint, Andrew Mallon and John Marshall co-founded a company, Ardane Therapeutic, to commercialize a potential therapy that Mallon discovered for Angelman Sydrome, a … Continue reading Former postdoc suing lab head for publishing paper he says he wrote, without his name

Gynecologic cancer researcher earns eighth retraction

Noriyuki Takai, a gynecologic cancer researcher in Japan, has notched one more retraction — bringing the total to eight — due to figures that were “processed inappropriately” and did “not accurately report the original data.” According to the notice, Takai alone put the figures together in the 2006 Oncology paper, which tested a histone deacetylase … Continue reading Gynecologic cancer researcher earns eighth retraction

Investigations into Voinnet’s work announced; critic publishes original peer review

The story about Olivier Voinnet, a high-profile plant biologist whose work has fallen under scrutiny, continues to build momentum. Late last week, Voinnet’s employer and one of his funders announced they were investigating his work, and one of the peer reviewers of a soon-to-be-retracted paper has made her original report public. Here’s the statement from … Continue reading Investigations into Voinnet’s work announced; critic publishes original peer review

JCI retracts paper by stem cell biologist Jacob Hanna, citing “figure irregularities”

The Journal of Clinical Investigation has retracted a 2004 paper by Jacob Hanna, a highly cited stem cell researcher in Israel whose work has been dogged by questions about its validity. Questions about the work, and other articles on which Hanna was an author, were raised on PubPeer last November. This is his first retraction. … Continue reading JCI retracts paper by stem cell biologist Jacob Hanna, citing “figure irregularities”

Wayne State neuroscientist fudged images in five papers

Teresita Briones, a former nursing professor at Wayne State University in Detroit who studied neuroscience, manipulated images in five papers, according to the Office of Research Integrity. Briones, who focused on neuroplasticity:

Retraction to appear for beleaguered plant researcher Olivier Voinnet

Olivier Voinnet, a researcher at ETH in Zurich who has corrected a number of his papers following critiques on PubPeer dating from late last year, is retracting a 2004 paper in The Plant Cell, according to the journal’s publisher. Voinnet, the winner of the 2013 Rössler Prize, is a high-profile scientist, and scrutiny of his work has only grown … Continue reading Retraction to appear for beleaguered plant researcher Olivier Voinnet

Cancer researcher under investigation in Italy notches eighth retraction

Alfredo Fusco, the researcher in Italy who is under criminal investigation and has had seven papers retracted, has lost yet another study. The investigation, which came to light in late 2013, had focused on eight papers thought to demonstrate evidence of image manipulation. The latest paper, in the European Journal of Cancer, studied mice with … Continue reading Cancer researcher under investigation in Italy notches eighth retraction

Weekend reads: Publication pollution, irreproducible research crisis, and broken funding models

The week at Retraction Watch featured an adventure in irony as a paper on plagiarism was retracted for…plagiarism, as well as another retraction for high-profile cancer research Robert Weinberg. Here’s what was happening elsewhere: