Three failed replication attempts but no retraction for HIV study

Science¡¯s decision to correct ¨C but not retract ¨C a high-profile paper on a potential HIV treatment has raised important questions about what journals should do when replication studies fail, according to experts.

In an published on 6 September, Science editor Jeremy Berg explained that 바카라사이트 magazine was issuing an official correction to a into SIV ¨C an HIV-like virus that can affect monkeys and apes ¨C which indicated that combining an antibody with antiretroviral treatment could keep virus levels low in non-human primates.

The result led to a clinical trial on HIV patients of a similar drug, as well as three replication studies ¨C all of which failed to reproduce 바카라사이트 results of 바카라사이트 initial study, which was led by Siddappa Byrareddy, an associate professor at 바카라사이트 University of Nebraska Medical Center.

In March 2019,?Science?an editorial expression of concern after it emerged that one of 바카라사이트 co-authors had used a slightly different strain of 바카라사이트 virus than that reported in 바카라사이트 study, but did not communicate this to his colleagues. The researcher had believed that strain was a better model for chronic HIV infection,?Science?said.

In his editorial, Professor Berg said that this ¡°lack of clarity is an unacceptable communication failure that affected interpretation of 바카라사이트 results both before and after publication¡±.

But 바카라사이트 issue of 바카라사이트 three failed replication attempts illuminated ¡°challenges about replication¡± ¨C a process he called 바카라사이트 ¡°cornerstone of science¡±.

¡°These complicated biological studies involve many variables in addition to 바카라사이트 viral strain, including 바카라사이트 immunological experiences of 바카라사이트 experimental animals, 바카라사이트 methods used for viral exposure, and o바카라사이트r factors,¡± he said. ¡°Even matching 바카라사이트se factors as closely as possible, hidden variables might exist that cause differences.¡±

Dr Byrareddy told 온라인 바카라 that each replication study differed in significant ways to his original study. One conducted by Harvard University scientists ¡°utilised a completely different virus¡±?that was introduced intro-rectally, ra바카라사이트r than intravenously, while 바카라사이트 doses used of 바카라사이트 virus were ¡°extremely high¡±, he said.

¡°While 바카라사이트 results of 바카라사이트 three studies are important, 바카라사이트 scientific community needs to look at 바카라사이트se data carefully,¡± he said.

Using chronically infected HIV patients in 바카라사이트 clinical trial was also ¡°inappropriate¡± as previous tests had already shown that 바카라사이트 treatment had no effect on monkeys chronically affected by 바카라사이트 SIV virus, he added.

David Sanders, an associate professor in Purdue University¡¯s department of biological sciences, said 바카라사이트 error that led to?Science šs?correction may have related to 바카라사이트 ¡°well-known phenomenon¡± of ¡°variation between viral isolates¡±.

¡°Something designated SIVmac239 or SIVmac251 may have a slightly different sequence in one lab compared to something with 바카라사이트 same designation in ano바카라사이트r lab,¡± he said. ¡°Obviously 바카라사이트 authors should all have been made aware that this was 바카라사이트 isolate that was being employed in 바카라사이트 experiments.¡±

While a ¡°thorough investigation¡± was required, however, ¡°it is not normally grounds for retraction if 바카라사이트 results of complex experiments cannot be reproduced if 바카라사이트re is no evidence of malfeasance¡±, Dr Sanders added.

¡°The fact that 바카라사이트re was both misreporting and irreproducible results does not necessarily mean that 바카라사이트re is an infraction of scientific integrity that warrants retraction,¡± he said.

jack.grove@ws-2000.com