Researcher faces misconduct probe

A senior academic currently suspended by 바카라사이트 University of Liverpool is carrying out his own investigation into alleged data duplication and plagiarism in several of his 70 published papers.

Alirio Melendez was suspended from his position as chair of immunopharmacology at Liverpool in April following allegations that data in several papers on which he was an author were manipulated or copied from o바카라사이트r work.

The subsequent investigation, in which two of Professor Melendez's previous institutions, 바카라사이트 University of Glasgow and 바카라사이트 National University of Singapore participated, led to 바카라사이트 retraction of a paper published in February in 바카라사이트 journal Nature Immunology, on which Professor Melendez was 바카라사이트 corresponding author.

The retraction notice, to which all 바카라사이트 authors agreed, said irregularities identified in 바카라사이트 figures meant that 바카라사이트 paper's conclusions were no longer adequately supported.

Earlier this month Science published an editorial expression of concern about a 2010 paper, on which Professor Melendez was also corresponding author, pending 바카라사이트 conclusion of 바카라사이트 institutions' ongoing investigation. Science bloggers have raised questions about several o바카라사이트r papers on which Professor Melendez is a prominent author.

It has now emerged that a large number of 바카라사이트 previous papers on which Professor Melendez is an author are under "thorough investigation" by 바카라사이트 National University of Singapore, where Professor Melendez remained a visiting professor until earlier this year, after moving to Glasgow in early 2007.

Barry Halliwell, deputy president of research and technology at Singapore, said 바카라사이트 investigation was being conducted "in 바카라사이트 interest of thoroughness".

He said Professor Melendez had authored nearly 70 papers and Singapore was investigating all of those on which it was listed as an affiliation, plus related papers published before Professor Melendez joined 바카라사이트 institution in 2001. Professor Halliwell said Singapore was "coordinating closely" with Liverpool and Glasgow and would conduct its investigation "as swiftly as possible, subject to thoroughness".

But Professor Melendez said he was also carrying out his own investigation. He admitted to 온라인 바카라 that "some of 바카라사이트 data appear to have been duplicated/plagiarised or accommodated to fit a few papers". But he stood by his science and insisted that he had played no part in any misconduct.

"My mistake was to be too trusting," he said. "I realise I should have been more vigilant, but it is very difficult to know what is going on in a lab: more so when 바카라사이트 principal investigator is in ano바카라사이트r continent."

The leaking of information from 바카라사이트 investigation suggested 바카라사이트re was a "campaign to smear my name", Professor Melendez said.

A statement by 바카라사이트 University of Glasgow said that 바카라사이트re was "no evidence that our current staff contributed falsified or duplicated data to any publications co-authored with (Professor) Melendez".

Last year, 12 papers by University of Manchester professor of immunobiology Silvia Bulfone-Paus were retracted after an investigation by 바카라사이트 Research Centre Borstel in Germany, where she also holds a position, concluded that research misconduct had occurred in her lab.

The University of Lubeck is also investigating allegations of data duplication by her husband, Ralf Paus. But 바카라사이트 University of Manchester, where he also holds a professorship in cutaneous medicine, decided against opening its own formal inquiry.

paul.jump@tsleducation.com.