Former Wayne State University pathologist Fazlul Sarkar, who is trying to sue anonymous commenters on the PubPeer review site for defamation, is guilty of multiple acts of research misconduct, according to a university investigative panel report obtained by The Scientist. In total, the university investigated more than 140 allegations and recommended that 42 of the researcher’s publications be retracted. According to the lawyers involved in the case—which last month appeared in front of the Michigan Court of Appeals for arguments over whether PubPeer must release the identities of its anonymous commenters who critiqued Sarkar’s papers—the university’s findings could impact his defamation claims. In fact, based on The Scientist’s coverage, PubPeer’s legal team yesterday (October 20) filed a motion with the court asking it to consider the fact that the report exists in its ongoing decision.
By reprogramming murine embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), researchers have ...
