Geneticist retracting four papers for “significant problems”

Benjamin Barré, a genetics researcher who recently set up his own group at the University of Angers, is retracting four papers he worked on as a graduate student and postdoc. Neil Perkins, in whose lab Barré was a postdoc, and Olivier Coqueret, in whose lab he did his PhD, tell Retraction Watch: Olivier and I first […]

Not our problem: Journal bows out of data dispute after U Minn challenges previous statement

Back in May we reported on an Expression of Concern in Cell Cycle — a notice that had entered life as a retraction but mysteriously metamorphosed into the less dramatic form. The statement limned a rather bizarre dispute between researchers who crossed paths at the University of Minnesota and are now embroiled in litigation over […]

Amid a legal dispute, journal downgrades a retraction to an expression of concern

cellcyclecoverThe journal Cell Cycle is expressing a “note” of concern about a 2012 paper by a former researcher at the University of Minnesota, who has claimed that her mentor at the institution was violating her copyright. It turns out the journal had briefly retracted the paper, but reversed itself with the expression of concern — a curious about-face that, in our experience, often indicates the work of lawyers.

That seems to be the case here, too.

The article, “Chalcone-based small-molecule inhibitors attenuate malignant phenotype via targeting deubiquitinating enzymes,” was already the subject of an erratum, available here:

Olga A. Issaenko [who is listed as being affiliated with the Russian Academy of Science but still lives in Minnesota] and Alexander Yu Amerik, authors of the recently published paper, “Chalcone-based small-molecule inhibitors attenuate malignant phenotype via targeting deubiquitinating enzymes” wish to make the following clarifications regarding compound names referenced therein.

1. The authors note that on pages 1809 and 1810, the label and the legend for Figure 4B appeared incorrectly in part. Compound name “KVI-14” should instead read “RA-14.”

2. The authors note that small-molecule inhibitor RA-9 used in this study is structurally different from another chalcone derivative “compound 10 RA-9” in reference 1. To avoid further confusion, in Table 1 below, authors provide chemical formulas, other known names and known references for chalcone derivatives used in this study.

Now along comes the expression of concern, which states:

In the May 1, 2012 issue, Cell Cycle published “Chalcone-based small-molecule inhibitors attenuate malignant phenotype via targeting deubiquitinating enzymes” (http://dx.doi.org/10.4161/cc.20174), a Report by Olga A. Issaenko and Alexander Yu Amerik. The publishers now express a note of concern regarding this article. In October 2012, the first author claimed copyright infringement of her work by a competing researcher Dr Martina Bazzaro of the University of Minnesota, in whose lab Dr Issaenko was employed from September 2009 to July 2010. In return, the University of Minnesota performed a review of Dr Bazzaro’s laboratory materials from 2010 and claim ownership of data from Table 1 and parts of Figures 1-6. These claims have been denied, and the dispute is ongoing.

So, Issaenko says the data are hers, Minnesota disagrees, and those claims “have been denied?” Who is doing the denying here? Issaenko, we assume, although it’s not clear whether some more official body has ruled on this case.

We reached Bazzaro but she declined to discuss the case with us, taking a rather tautological tone:

The letter says what the letter says.

Ah, but not what it used to say. That’s because Cell Cycle had, for a brief while, retracted the article. Tara Barton, who handles the journal for Landes, the publisher, sent us this email in response to our queries:

note that we never sent the Retraction, published momentarily on our site, to Pub Med, as it was a tentative solution to a very complicated problem. The Expression of Concern, on the other hand, which we ultimately determined was the best course of action, is on PubMed (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23686332).

Did the switch come as a result of a legal threat? Barton says

That wasn’t really the whole situation.

The university issued us the following statement:

In December 2012, the University of Minnesota notified the journal Cell Cycle of its concern that Dr. Issaenko used data generated in Dr. Bazzaro’s laboratory without permission from Dr. Bazzaro or the University.  Based on a report submitted by University research officials to the journal in April 2013 documenting the use of data from Dr. Bazzaro’s laboratory, the journal initially retracted the paper.  Shortly afterwards, the journal changed its mind and published the expression of concern instead. The University considers the journal’s statement to be inaccurate andunfair to Dr. Bazzaro, and is notifying the journal of its dissatisfaction with this outcome.  The University disputes Dr. Issaenko’s allegations of copyright infringement, which the journal did not inform the University of until March 2013.

Evidently the dissatisfaction doesn’t end there. We found Minnesota court records indicating some kind of ongoing legal dispute involving Issaenko and Bazzaro, although the nature of the spat isn’t clear from what’s available online. A hearing took place earlier this month. Neither of their attorneys would shed any light on the matter.

Carol Grant, who is representing Bazzaro, told us — with what we’ll admit was admirable restraint — that she didn’t see the point in sharing details of the case with us:

It’s a cost that she does not need to incur for any reason.


Charge of “scientific yellow journalism” has supervisor seeing red, leads to retraction

small gtpasesLast October, Anica Klockars, a neuroscience researcher at Uppsala University in Sweden, and a colleague published a controversial comment in the journal Small GTPases, a Landes Bioscience title.

The title of the letter was meant to provoke: “Scientific yellow journalism.”

As the authors wrote:

Today, more than ever before, the importance of conducting responsible research is vital. New mass media technologies, allowing for the rapid distribution of news, enable researchers across the world to publicize their latest discoveries to a vast audience. The problem arises when inconclusive research is disseminated, with results that are exaggerated, misinterpreted or even fabricated. We, as scientists, have a responsibility to be brutally critical toward our own research, as well as that of our colleagues. Unfortunately, due to the system of publishing fast, often and in high-impact factor journals, scientists are under greater pressure to produce quantity, at the expense of research quality.

This problem of exaggerating results is especially evident in the field of environmental toxicology, where reports about chemicals, often incorporated in plastics used for food packaging, beauty products, children’s toys and baby products are broadcast on a daily basis to an audience that is unfamiliar with the actual studies behind these reports and the “traditions in toxicological research” of overdosing animals to extreme levels in order to obtain an effect. We certainly cannot claim that chemicals are not dangerous—many of them are—but scaring the public with continuous press releases based on dubious results is not only irresponsible but, similar to the boy who cried wolf, it can only serve to obstruct the entire field when the public grows weary of the never ending alarms, later rescinded because more responsible research is finally performed.

Therefore, it is critical that responsible research is performed, studies are thoroughly executed using various model systems—with a critical approach and doses that are more representative of environmental exposures—and we are sure of our results before going public.

We, and, we’re guessing, most of our readers would agree with this assessment — especially the sentence: “Unfortunately, due to the system of publishing fast, often and in high-impact factor journals, scientists are under greater pressure to produce quantity, at the expense of research quality.”

But, as Klockars found out, introspection was not all that she stimulated. A supervisor (whom she asked us not to identify) objected to the tone of the piece, and insisted that Klockars retract the comment.

To wit:

The following article from Small GTPases, “Scientific Yellow Journalism” by Anica Klockars and Michael J. Williams, published online on 20 September 2012  (doi: 10.4161/sgtp.22289; http://www.landesbioscience.com/journals/smallgtpases/article/22289/) by Landes Bioscience and subsequently published in print in Small GTPases 2012 3(4):201 has been retracted by agreement between the authors and the journal’s Editor in Chief …

We felt that was fairly ironic, as irony goes. And Klockars agreed:

I think science definitely suffers a lot from the way it is funded. If you can only get grants by publishing as fast as possible, you will most likely not stop and think about what would be great studies – you will just publish something and probably even “adjust” your data in order to publish fast. This is the whole reason why I wrote the comment. I read too many really bad papers, with results that really don’t say anything, and worst of all: newspaper articles are often based on these inconclusive papers, exaggerating the findings in ridiculous ways and spreading alarming news that hasn’t even really been proven scientifically. So I got the opportunity to raise my concern in an editor’s corner.
Now, what makes this episode even more dismaying is that we might have assumed Klockars’ co-author on the letter would have had a bit of juice with the journal. After all, Michael Williams is the editor in chief.
Williams did not immediately respond to a request for comment.