Stem cell researchers at the University of Minnesota are once again under investigation for falsifying data,
New Scientist reported this week.
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Mouse embryonic stem cells
Image: Wikimedia commons |
Earlier this year,
New Scientist identified at least two potentially manipulated or duplicated images in a
2008 American Journal of Physiology paper coauthored by
Jizhen Lin, a researcher in the Department of Otolaryngology in the university's medical school.
The paper reported that stem cells from the inner ears of mice could be differentiated to create neurons and sensory hair cells. Based on their own investigation,
New Scientist identified one photograph of a gel that appeared to have duplicated bands spliced into the image, and two other images that seemed identical, though they were meant to represent results for two different genes. Further exploration uncovered possibly duplicated images in six additional papers published by Lin between 2001 and 2007. In April,
New Scientist alerted the university to their findings, and an investigation was launched last month.
Last October,
a panel at the University of Minnesota ruled that
Morayma Reyes, a former PhD student in the lab of stem cell researcher
Catherine Verfaillie, had falsified data in a
2001 Blood paper. Blood retracted the paper in March of this year, citing "duplications and other irregularities in multiple figures." In early 2007,
New Scientist questioned the validity and originality of the data in a
2002 Nature paper from Verfaillie's lab reporting the first adult pluripotent stem cells, and that June,
Nature retracted the figures in question. Verfaillie was the corresponding author on both those papers. She was also an author on the 2008
American Journal of Physiology paper with Lin.
Correction (August 7): The original version of this article indicated that Reyes was the subject of the investigation regarding the 2002 Nature
paper. While she was a co-author on the paper, she was not the specific focus of the inquiry. The Scientist
regrets the error.
Related stories:Guilty: stem cell researcher
[7th October 2008]Adult stem cell figure retracted
[13th June 2007]Adult stem cell report questioned
[26th February 2007]
