What happened at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute? Allegations explored amid mass retractions

Recently, the Harvard Medical School-affiliated Dana-Farber Cancer Institute was accused of data manipulation, as per CNN. In the wake of the allegations, the Boston-based Harvard teaching school has decided to retract six studies and make corrections to 31 others.

This move by the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute comes nearly three weeks after British molecular biologist Dr. Sholto David published a blog post titled “Dana-Faberications at Harvard University” in the scientific online journal For Better Science.

It was focused on Harvard researchers, including the ones at Dana-Farber who falsified data by manipulating images, in papers concerning multiple myeloma, leukemia, immune cells, and more, as per the New York Times.

In the wake of the allegations, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute has put the matter under internal investigation. Barrett Rollins, the research integrity officer, even told CNN on January 22 that the institute is “committed to a culture of accountability and integrity.”

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All you need to know about the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute controversy

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute has been accused of falsifying data, manipulating images, and more, forcing the research and academic school to retract six studies and identify 31 others “warranting correction,” as per research integrity officer and chief science officer emeritus Barrett Rollins.

Not only that, but over 50 papers are due for review, written by four researchers, all of whom are part of the Harvard Medical School faculty. There are also four papers awaiting assessment, which were written by the CEO of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Dr. Laurie Glimcher, as per CNN.

Chief Operating Officer Dr. William Hahn, Director of the Clinical Investigator Research Program Dr. Irene Ghobrial, and Jerome Lipper Multiple Myeloma Center Program Director Dr. Kenneth Anderson are also facing similar allegations, as reported by the New York Post.

Barrett Rollins told CNN recently that “Dana-Farber has been swift and decisive" in the matter of retraction, correction, and review of “potential data errors" and is committed to taking accountability for their past mistakes.

“Every inquiry is examined fully to ensure the soundness of the scientific literature,” he further ensured.

Rollins also told CNN that there was one paper with a reported error that “remains under examination,” however, the institute has not yet decided upon whether a “misconduct” has taken place.

The latest controversy comes weeks after Harvard President Claudine Gay was accused of plagiarism and had to step down from the role, earlier this month. Not only that but Gay requested corrections in nearly 50 of her academic papers, concerning “inadequate citation.”

Meanwhile, Sholto David, the molecular biologist who alleged the cancer research institute of forging images and data (including duplications of blots, bands, and plots, as per New York Post) suggested in his blog post that Adobe Photoshop was used “to copy and paste” pictures in a few of their papers alongside other irregularities in a total of 57 articles.

“The presence of image discrepancies in a paper is not evidence of an author’s intent to deceive. That conclusion can only be drawn after a careful, fact-based examination which is an integral part of our response,” Rollins said in defense.

Rollins further noted that the errors pointed out by David might be “unintentional,” as is in most cases, and “do not rise to the level of misconduct.” He also counter-accused that some of David’s allegations were “wrong,” and were not carried out at the Boston-based institute, but rather outside labs, officials of which were contacted for further assistance.