Skip to main content

PubPeer Users Question a Cancer Paper

A 2012 Cancer Cell paper is under investigation after users of the post-publication peer review website raised questions about the validity of Western blot images.

Written byBob Grant
| 1 min read

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

A radiographic image of glioblastomaWIKIMEDIA, CHRISTARAS AA paper published by Cancer Cell in 2012 is under investigation by the journal after one of its authors posted a message on the post-publication peer review website PubPeer indicating that there was some mistake with one of the Western blot images, according to Retraction Watch. The paper, which reported the relationship between tumor-propagating cells and glioblastomas, included several Western blots, some of which appeared to have duplicated bands, typically a sign of image manipulation.

Last month, an anonymous PubPeer user posted one of the paper’s Western blot images on the site. Study coauthor Angelo Vescovi, a biologist at the University of Milan-Bicocca in Italy, responded right away, posting this comment to PubPeer: “The authors at Cancer Cell have been informed of this mishap. There were technical problem with the scanned picture database that led to misclassification of scanned plates images and misassembling and frame duplication, some of which were in fact nonsensical and actually ended up lessening the cogency of our findings.”

“We are aware of the concerns raised regarding the Binda et al. paper published by Cancer Cell in 2012, and they are currently under investigation by the journal,” a Cell Press spokesperson told Retraction Watch. “We do ...

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

  • From 2017 to 2022, Bob Grant was Editor in Chief of The Scientist, where he started in 2007 as a Staff Writer. Before joining the team, he worked as a reporter at Audubon and earned a master’s degree in science journalism from New York University. In his previous life, he pursued a career in science, getting a bachelor’s degree in wildlife biology from Montana State University and a master’s degree in marine biology from the College of Charleston in South Carolina. Bob edited Reading Frames and other sections of the magazine.

    View Full Profile

Related Topics

Related articles background image
August 2026 Digest cover
August 2026

Epic Fail: Sea-Monkeys Sabotage Fieldwork

When Barry Hicks set out to photograph thrombolites, thousands of unexpected visitors photobombed his underwater images.

View this Issue
Improving rAAV Production for Viral Vector Manufacturing

Improving rAAV Production for Viral Vector Manufacturing

cytiva logo
Advancing Respiratory Immunity Through Tissue-Resident Memory T Cell Research

Advancing Respiratory Immunity Through Tissue-Resident Memory T Cell Research

Miltenyi
Scientist holding a clear 384-well PCR microplate in a laboratory

What Dictates PCR Success Before Amplification Begins?

Integra Logo
Overcoming Immunotherapy Resistance in Liver Cancer

Overcoming Immunotherapy Resistance in Liver Cancer

Axion Biosystems

Products

Sino Biological Logo

Sino Biological Launches European Newsletter Campaign with Exclusive Welcome Gifts

Sino Biological Logo

Sino Biological Launches SuperNuclease ® Pro with Free Trial Program

Sino Biological Logo

Sino Biological Launches Precisely Characterized Full-Length p-Tau217 Protein to Advance Next-Generation Alzheimer’s Biomarker Assay Development

A photo of a scientist placing the Resipher device on a 96-well plate.

Resipher: Continuous Live-Cell Mitochondrial Respiration Monitoring in 96-Well Plates

Lucid Scientific logo