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Japanese Stem Cell Debacle Could Bring Down Entire Center

Posted by samzenpus on from the one-bad-apple dept.

sciencehabit (1205606) writes Shutting down the research center at the heart of an unfolding scientific scandal may be necessary to prevent a recurrence of research misconduct, according to a report released at a press conference in Tokyo today. A committee reviewing conduct at the RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology (CDB) in Kobe, Japan, found lax oversight and a failure on the part of senior authors of two papers in Nature outlining a surprisingly simple way of reprogramming mature cells into stem cells. The committee surmised that a drive to produce groundbreaking results led to publishing results prematurely. "It seems that RIKEN CDB had a strong desire to produce major breakthrough results that would surpass iPS cell research," the report concludes, referring to another type of pluripotent stem cell. "One of our conclusions is that the CDB organization is part of the problem," said committee chair Teruo Kishi Kishi. He recommends a complete overhaul of CDB, including perhaps restructuring it into a new institute. "This has to be more than just changing the nameplate."

2 of 52 comments (clear)

  1. Stem cell research by jlgreer1 · · Score: 0, Troll

    Sounds like the same drive to produce global warming results.

  2. Re:Why do scientists falsify? Or how can they? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    And what if you don't get it right FIRST? Then someone else would be famous and rich.

    and! and!: what if i fuck your mother in her tight tender brown smelly rancid asshole?! what then?! well then i reach around and rub her clit at teh same time so she'll let me do it again next time!