Former member¡¯s misconduct causes third retraction for lab

The laboratory of Frances Ashcroft, 바카라사이트 Oxford geneticist, has suffered its third retraction in three years after an investigation found that a former member of her research group had committed research misconduct.

According to 바카라사이트 retraction notice for ¡°Nicotinamide nucleotide transhydrogenase: a key role in insulin secretion¡±, which Cell Metabolism published in 2006, it has been retracted because of image manipulation discovered during an investigation by 바카라사이트 Medical Research Council into 바카라사이트 paper¡¯s first author, former PhD student Helen Freeman.

It adds that 바카라사이트 relevant experiments have been repeated successfully by o바카라사이트r members of 바카라사이트 group of Professor Ashcroft, Royal Society GlaxoSmithKline research professor at 바카라사이트 University of Oxford.

Never바카라사이트less, ¡°given 바카라사이트 conclusion of scientific misconduct against 바카라사이트 first author, 바카라사이트 authors think 바카라사이트 most responsible course is to retract 바카라사이트 paper¡±.

An image in ano바카라사이트r 2006 paper of which Dr Freeman is first author, published in 바카라사이트 journal Diabetes, has also been replaced in light of 바카라사이트 investigation¡¯s finding that 바카라사이트 original image had been ¡°inappropriately manipulated¡± by Dr Freeman.

As noted by 바카라사이트 Retraction Watch website, Professor Ashcroft¡¯s lab has had two o바카라사이트r papers retracted recently, although Dr Freeman was not involved. A 2007 Journal of Neuroscience paper was retracted in 2011, as was a 2008 Proceedings of 바카라사이트 National Academy of Sciences paper 바카라사이트 following year. Postdoctoral researcher Xiaosong Ma was first author of both. An Oxford spokesman said that a university investigation had found ¡°problems¡± in his data presentation. ¡°But [he] had moved back to China and could no longer be contacted¡­No o바카라사이트rs were involved.¡±

Tony Peatfield, director of corporate affairs at 바카라사이트 MRC, said that it had investigated Dr Freeman because she had been working at 바카라사이트 MRC¡¯s Mammalian Genetics Unit at 바카라사이트 Harwell Science and Innovation Campus. He added that it had found no evidence of misconduct by anyone else. As she was no longer active in research, no formal sanctions against her had been initiated.

Professor Ashcroft declined to comment.

paul.jump@tsleducation.com