Science journalism by Leonid Schneider, on research integrity and academic publishing in life sciences and biomedicine
Elite journal Nature Cell Biology (NCB) requests deposition of raw data, in particular original scans of western blots and other gel analyses. Spanish star cancer researcher Carlos López-Otín, winner of 2017 Nature Mentoring Award, instead deposited whatever odd gel picture his lab had available, counting that nobody will bother to check. Yet readers did.
On 7 April 2010 the Spanish diabetes researcher Margarita Lorenzo died of metastatic melanoma, aged only 51. Two months after her death, Lorenzo’s colleagues submitted a paper to the journal Diabetes. The paper, which studies the mechanisms of obesity and insulin resistance, seems to be full of manipulated western blot data. While Lorenzo was dying of cancer, her colleagues advanced their careers using her reputation, using their own disreputable Photoshop skills.
Paloma was supposed to the second trachea transplant patient of Paolo Macchiarini’s in Barcelona, in summer 2008. The scandal surgeon gave her a fake diagnosis of a lethal tracheal cancer which she never had, and also “accidentally” mislocated her stent during a enforced bronchoscopy. All to coerce his patient to agree to a trachea transpalnt. Paloma had a lucky escape, twice. She namely also encountered Thorsten Walles.
Cancer researcher Carlos López-Otín published the same Northern blot no less than 23 times in 23 publications, between 1994 and 2006. Eventually Lopez-Otin et al even stopped caring what order of samples that original loading control had.
English version below. El 12 de junio de 2008, el cirujano torácico y entusiasta de la medicina regenerativa Paolo MacchiariniContinue Reading
In Spain, there seems to be a tradition of reacting to emerging evidence of data manipulation with handing out prestigiousContinue Reading
Recent news brought us yet another retraction of the Spanish zombie scientist Susana Gonzalez, formerly famous for her impactful ERC-fundedContinue Reading
7.09.2017 This article was slapped with an injunction by Berlin court (here), on behalf of Jungebluth. Sentences forbidden by injunctionContinue Reading
This article lists all known (including those not officially declared) patients of the scandal surgeon Paolo Macchiarini, who received from him a cadaveric or plastic trachea. It will be updated whenever I receive any new evidence.
The Spanish zombie scientist Susana González, former star of regenerative medicine and ageing research, now retracts two papers in NatureContinue Reading
