2014年5月29日木曜日

Inaccurate imagery found again in STAP cell papers

Riken CDB’s investigation team (Not Riken’s Research Paper Investigative Committee
) reported that Fig.1a (ES chimaera) and Fig.1b (STAP chimaera) in the Obokata’s Nature Letter (Nature. 2014 Jan 30;505(7485):676-80.) are derived from the same mouse.
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v505/n7485/fig_tab/nature12969_F1.html
, and that Nature Article’s Ext. Fig7d (http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v505/n7485/fig_tab/nature12968_SF7.html) and Nature Letter’s Ext. Fig.1a (http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v505/n7485/fig_tab/nature12969_SF1.html) are derived from the same mouse.
These findings indicate that the authors have committed research misconduct not only in the Nature Article (http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v505/n7485/full/nature12968.html) but also in the Nature Letter (http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v505/n7485/full/nature12969.html).
However, RIKEN has decided not to re-investigate these new allegations of research misconduct in the Nature Letter.
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/science/20140526-OYT1T50202.html?from=tw
Obokata and RIKEN’s top members including Dr. Sasai who is one of the corresponding authors of the Nature Letter may have signed a secret agreement to ward off efforts to pursue their responsibility, and decided to withdraw the Nature Letter and not to re-investigate the new allegations.