Skip to main content

Paper Retracted Following Lawsuit

Research funded in part by a biotech was retracted after a lawsuit claiming the work could not be replicated.

Written byEdyta Zielinska
| 1 min read

Register for free to listen to this article
Listen with Speechify
0:00
1:00

Prostate CancerWIKIMEDIA COMMONS, NEPHRON

Robert Getzenberg of Johns Hopkins University retracted his finding published in Urology on a novel blood protein that could be developed into a test for prostate cancer, after reviewing the original data and finding inconsistencies in the reported results.

The research had come under scrutiny because Onconome, a company that had in part funded the work, tried to develop the results into a diagnostic and failed, reported ScienceInsider. They found that the biomarker was "essentially as reliable as flipping a coin," according to the Onconome’s lawsuit against Johns Hopkins, Getzenberg, and Getzenberg’s former employer, the University of Pittsburgh.

While the lawsuit was settled in 2010, the research was only retracted in October 2011, after it had been cited 67 times, according to Retraction Watch.

(Read ...

Interested in reading more?

Become a Member of

The Scientist Logo
Receive full access to more than 35 years of archives, as well as TS Digest, digital editions of The Scientist, feature stories, and much more!
Already a member?
Add The Scientist as a preferred source on Google

Add The Scientist as a preferred Google source to see more of our trusted coverage.

Meet the Author

  • The Scientist Placeholder Image

    Edyta Zielinska was a senior editor at The Scientist from 2007 to 2013, where she worked closely with scientific illustrators to develop accompanying graphics to illuminate complex concepts. 

    View Full Profile

Related Topics

The Scientist October Digest cover
October 2026

Antarctica’s Blood Falls Teems With Mysterious Microbial Life

Miles away from the closest ocean, marine microbes thrive in the red ice and mud around Blood Falls, offering clues to microbial adaptation and past climate events.

View this Issue
Evaluating Blood Biomarkers for Alzheimer’s Disease Staging

Evaluating Blood Biomarkers for Alzheimer’s Disease Staging

​Beckman Coulter
Find better biologics faster with Stunner and the AI Developability Workcell

Find better biologics faster with Stunner and the AI Developability Workcell

Unchained Labs
An image of microcentrifuge tubes arranged within colorful laboratory racks.

Choose clarity. Choose speed. Choose MyMass™

Refeyn
Characterizing LNP Heterogeneity With Super-Resolution Imaging

Characterizing LNP Heterogeneity With Super-Resolution Imaging

Oni

Products

Stellaromics Logo

Stellaromics Expands Pyxa Adoption as Instruments are Installed at Leading Research Institutions Across the U.S. and EuropeStellaromics, Inc., the leader in 3D

A monoclonal antibody surrounded by immune cells and red blood cells

CellRaft AIR: Find the Right Antibody-Producing Cells Faster

Cell Microsystems
Maxwell® Rapid ccfDNA Kit

Maxwell® Rapid ccfDNA Kit: Automated Purification of ccfDNA in Under 30 Minutes

Promega
Leica Biosystems, Tempus, and Paige logos side by side, marking the addition of Paige digital pathology AI tools to the Aperio AI Store.

Oncology Researchers Gain AI Cancer Tools in One Platform