Japan lab weighing retraction of stem cell paper

[Coligny]

Malevolence no ?

[Mike Oxlong]

Obokata agrees to retract stem cell papers: RIKEN

A Japanese stem cell scientist accused of fabricating research has agreed to retract papers published in the respected journal Nature, an official said Wednesday.

Haruko Obokata, 30, would withdraw two papers at the center of the controversy, according to a spokeswoman for RIKEN, the respected research institute that sponsored the study, marking a steep fall from grace for the young researcher.

“We confirmed that she agreed to retract both articles,” the spokeswoman said.

She added that RIKEN was “still discussing” a retraction with co-author Charles Vacanti of Harvard University.

Obokata was feted after unveiling findings that appeared to show a straightforward way to reprogram adult cells to become stem cells—precursors that are capable of developing into any other cell in the human body.

Identifying a readily manufacturable supply of stem cells could one day help meet a need for transplant tissues, or even whole organs, meaning that any advance in the field is usually met with excitement in the scientific community.

The study was front-page news in Japan, but within weeks of Obokata’s paper on so-called Stimulus-Triggered Acquisition of Pluripotency (STAP) cells being published, questions began to emerge, with fellow scientists saying they could not replicate her results.

RIKEN had urged the scientist to withdraw her two papers, after concluding that she fabricated at least some of the data.

[Taro Toporific]

Embattled stem cell research center may be shut down
Nikkei Asian Review June 12, 2014
--A committee discussing reforms at Japan's Riken research institute in light of scientific misconduct in what was hailed as a groundbreaking stem cell study will recommend the option of closing the center responsible for most of the research...more...

[Wibble]

Embattled stem cell research center may be shut down
Nikkei Asian Review June 12, 2014
--A committee discussing reforms at Japan's Riken research institute in light of scientific misconduct in what was hailed as a groundbreaking stem cell study will recommend the option of closing the center responsible for most of the research...more...

This whole situation is pissing a lot of people off. The knock on effects outside RIKEN are starting to happen with lecture courses on ethics, more oversight of record keeping and administrators taking back control over those nasty untreatable scientists. I hate to think the damage it has done within RIKEN itself, but I heard the Government was rethinking the $1,000,000 salary plan to bring in Nobel laureates. Sure, the ethics standards are low, but nothing that is being done is going to change this. It just irritates theses doing things properly and many of the others just see the problem as getting caught. No one really wants to dig too deep...

Some of the issues, with the shutdown/leader resignation apparently relate to huge rivalry between the senior scientists in the RIKEN and Kyoto stem cell departments that started with a fight over a girl in the 80's or something. This rivalry is suggested to play a role in the odd hiring process of Obokata: she was saying amazing things and they both wanted her in their departments and corners were cut to get her.

[Coligny]

From the Exskf newsletter:

Mainichi also quotes the lead attorney employed by Ms. Obokata (she has four attorneys), who told the press that his client says she wants to look for her sons (STAP cells) whom she has been separated from.

One prominent Japanese scientist (and a mother) who heads a laboratory in a US research institution is furious, and she tweeted, "You have already made a mockery of biology. Stop insulting women and female researchers further. I'm ashamed."

She's a fucking delusional nutcase... The kind that ends up homeless pushing around a mummified dead cat in a baby stroller and treating it as her baby... Put her in a Thai brothel so she can quickly die of syphilis, it will end her (and everyone else) suffering in a more human way...

[matsuki]

From the Exskf newsletter:

Mainichi also quotes the lead attorney employed by Ms. Obokata (she has four attorneys), who told the press that his client says she wants to look for her sons (STAP cells) whom she has been separated from.

One prominent Japanese scientist (and a mother) who heads a laboratory in a US research institution is furious, and she tweeted, "You have already made a mockery of biology. Stop insulting women and female researchers further. I'm ashamed."

She's a fucking delusional nutcase... The kind that ends up homeless pushing around a mummified dead cat in a baby stroller and treating it as her baby... Put her in a Thai brothel so she can quickly die of syphilis, it will end her (and everyone else) suffering in a more human way...

How is the bitch not fired, sued, and blacklisted yet? Oh right...because Japan.

[Hijinx]

How is the bitch not fired, sued, and blacklisted yet? Oh right...because Japan.

We'll see. Wait till they whip up the hamsters driving the cogs of J-action. Apparently, Obokata obtained her position with this fake research. Her legals troubles will continue. I can see RIKEN demanding back all the salary they paid her. She's toast--soapland time for her, where she can "milk" STAP cells from her clients.

[Russell]

If she can afford four lawyers, she can just as well hire one of us.

To help her plan her post-scandal career.

Any volunteeeeeeerrrrrsssss?!?

[Isle of View]

Embattled stem cell research center may be shut down
Nikkei Asian Review June 12, 2014
--A committee discussing reforms at Japan's Riken research institute in light of scientific misconduct in what was hailed as a groundbreaking stem cell study will recommend the option of closing the center responsible for most of the research...more...

This whole situation is pissing a lot of people off. The knock on effects outside RIKEN are starting to happen with lecture courses on ethics, more oversight of record keeping and administrators taking back control over those nasty untreatable scientists. I hate to think the damage it has done within RIKEN itself, but I heard the Government was rethinking the $1,000,000 salary plan to bring in Nobel laureates. Sure, the ethics standards are low, but nothing that is being done is going to change this. It just irritates theses doing things properly and many of the others just see the problem as getting caught. No one really wants to dig too deep...

Some of the issues, with the shutdown/leader resignation apparently relate to huge rivalry between the senior scientists in the RIKEN and Kyoto stem cell departments that started with a fight over a girl in the 80's or something. This rivalry is suggested to play a role in the odd hiring process of Obokata: she was saying amazing things and they both wanted her in their departments and corners were cut to get her.

Interesting bit of gossip. The personal really is the political.

[Russell]

Some of the issues, with the shutdown/leader resignation apparently relate to huge rivalry between the senior scientists in the RIKEN and Kyoto stem cell departments that started with a fight over a girl in the 80's or something.

This is not unique to Japan.

I know of a similar situation in France.

My Japanese colleague/friend joked about it, and implied such a thing could never happen in Japan. LOL.

[Coligny]

I know of a similar situation in France.

Yea, we call it monday, and by wednesday the bedsheets have been washed/dried and it's turn for another girl.

My Japanese colleague/friend joked about it, and implied such a thing could never happen in Japan. LOL.

Did you tell him aboot that time when not all japs were fapping to anime pr0n and actually boned living humans ? Might have changed his world...

[matsuki]

Some of the issues, with the shutdown/leader resignation apparently relate to huge rivalry between the senior scientists in the RIKEN and Kyoto stem cell departments that started with a fight over a girl in the 80's or something.

This is not unique to Japan.

I know of a similar situation in France.

My Japanese colleague/friend joked about it, and implied such a thing could never happen in Japan. LOL.

Can you blame him? A female scientist in Japan? Unpossible!!

[Hijinx]

"severely punished" ?? Little Haru-chan might be into that kind of thing. You've been a naughty girl--pull down your Hello Kitty panties; it's time for a spankin'.

Committee urges research center to be disbanded after STAP controversy
Kyodo -- Jun 13

A committee investigating Riken called Thursday for the institute's biological research center to be immediately disbanded because of its failure to prevent misconduct by disgraced scientist Haruko Obokata.

Obokata must also be "severely punished" for her now-infamous stem cell study, the panel of outside experts tasked with reforming the operations of the government-affiliated Riken research institute said in a report.

The proposals in the report are not binding but will be used as a reference by a Riken task force headed by institute chief Ryoji Noyori that will work out steps to prevent a recurrence of research misconduct.

http://newsonjapan.com/html/newsdesk/article/108084.php

[Mike Oxlong]

How not to do science

Via Mano, we get to learn what it was like working in the stem cell lab of Piero Anversa.

The day to day operation of the lab was conducted under a severe information embargo. The lab had Piero Anversa at the head with group leaders Annarosa Leri, Jan Kajstura and Marcello Rota immediately supervising experimentation. Below that was a group of around 25 instructors, research fellows, graduate students and technicians. Information flowed one way, which was up, and conversation between working groups was generally discouraged and often forbidden.

Raw data left one’s hands, went to the immediate superior (one of the three named above) and the next time it was seen would be in a manuscript or grant. What happened to that data in the intervening period is unclear.

A side effect of this information embargo was the limitation of the average worker to determine what was really going on in a research project. It would also effectively limit the ability of an average worker to make allegations regarding specific data/experiments, a requirement for a formal investigation.

The general game plan of the lab was to use two methods to control the workforce: Reward those who would play along and create a general environment of fear for everyone else. The incentive was upward mobility within the lab should you stick to message. As ridiculous as it sounds to the average academic scientist, I was personally promised money and fame should I continue to perform the type of work they desired there. There was also the draw of financial security/job stability that comes with working in a very well-funded lab.

On the other hand, I am not overstating when I say that there was a pervasive feeling of fear in the laboratory. Although individually-tailored stated and unstated threats were present for lab members, the plight of many of us who were international fellows was especially harrowing. Many were technically and educationally underqualified compared to what might be considered average research fellows in the United States. Many also originated in Italy where Dr. Anversa continues to wield considerable influence over biomedical research.

[Taro Toporific]

She-e-e-it, they just made it all up.

STAP paper co-author recants
---Researcher turns skeptic after independent analysis---
The Japan Times | June 16, 2014
A co-author of two controversial stem cell papers questioned the claims they made Monday, saying a new study showed that the cells purportedly used in the experiments did not appear to be STAP cells after all.
“There is no proof as to the existence of STAP cells,” University of Yamanashi professor Teruhiko Wakayama told a news conference. “All the results of the analysis are moving toward denying the existence of STAP cells...Wakayama added that he tried a dozen times to create STAP cells at his university but failed...more...

[legion]

I predict Obokata will get busted for either fare dodging or stealing towels from a hotel

[Russell]

I predict Obokata will get busted for either fare dodging or stealing towels from a hotel

Will that be before or after her AV debut?

[Coligny]

I predict Obokata will get busted for either fare dodging or stealing towels from a hotel

Will that be before or after her AV debut?

Well, remembering what she consider as "her sons" I 'm pretty sure the world can do without a new kind of nightmare inducing fetish videos...

[Mike Oxlong]

And a sad end.

Disgraced Japan stem cell scientist dead in apparent suicide

A renowned Japanese stem cell scientist who co-wrote research that was later retracted in an embarrassing scandal has been found dead of an apparent suicide, police said Tuesday.

The body of Yoshiki Sasai, 52, was discovered hanging inside the stairwell of a building that houses the Riken Centre for Developmental Biology, one of the country’s most prestigious scientific research institutions.

The office is in the western city of Kobe.

“Yoshiki Sasai was discovered hanging on Tuesday morning inside one of Riken’s research buildings and, after being sent to hospital, he was confirmed dead at 11:03 am,” a spokesman for the Hyogo Prefectural police told AFP.

“Police are investigating the case as a suspected suicide.”

He added that authorities discovered “farewell notes” that Sasai had left behind, with public broadcaster NHK reporting that one was left for Haruko Obokata.

Sasai mentored the 30-year-old Obokata, whose study earlier this year was hailed as a “game-changer” in the quest to grow transplant tissue in the lab.

But the feted research unravelled amid claims Obokata used fabricated data in her research.

Leading science journal Nature said last month it had withdrawn the study after mistakes were discovered in some data published in two papers, among other problems.

In the aftermath of the scandal, Sasai was accused of failing to properly supervise Obokata. He later apologised.

“It’s extremely regrettable,” Japan’s top government spokesman and Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters in response to questions about Sasai’s death.

“Dr Sasai was a leading contributor in the field of regenerative medicine.”

http://www.japantoday.com/category/nati ... nt-suicide

[matsuki]

Wonder is Obokata will follow suit...though she seems too full of herself to consider it...

[Mike Oxlong]

Wonder is Obokata will follow suit...though she seems too full of herself to consider it...

I think she's as medicated as Masako-sama.

[legion]

Wonder is Obokata will follow suit...though she seems too full of herself to consider it...

Who do you think tied the knot?

[matsuki]

Wonder is Obokata will follow suit...though she seems too full of herself to consider it...

Who do you think tied the knot?

Metaphorically? Obokata...she should have been the one hanging.

[IparryU]

Wonder is Obokata will follow suit...though she seems too full of herself to consider it...

Who do you think tied the knot?

Metaphorically? Obokata...she should have been the one hanging.

Hell, she might be the next in line by default...

[Wibble]

Sad news.
Obokata is currently trying to repeat the work under serious invigilation conditions, with absolutely no way to cheat this time. Maybe the preliminary results are in and they didn't look good.

[Takechanpoo]

Sasai had been regarded as a long-term rival to nobel awarded Yamanaka.
but since Yamanaka succeeded in creating iPS cell, Sasai had been too eagar for sucess and this time STAP cell fuss which is new Nessie.
and he brought an irremediable havoc loss to J-science reputation in the world.
so i do not tell RIP to him.

and Obo was a mistress of Sasai.
Obo is still pretending to be innocent.
what a brazen and unscruplus biach
go to hell

[Russell]

Having to withdraw one's papers is certainly not conductive to an impressive publication list, but this brings new meaning to the expression "publish or perish"...

[Isle of View]

Having to withdraw one's papers is certainly not conductive to an impressive publication list, but this brings new meaning to the expression "publish or perish"...

Good one.

[Russell]

Latest news has it that in this summer's survival contest for RIKEN employees they will cancel the bungee jumping event...

[Coligny]

Mochi jelly slurping tournament is out too...