Acid-Bath Stem Cell Papers Are Finally Retracted
The STAP stem cell saga has reached its bitter conclusion… for now.
The authors of two papers published by the journal Nature, which claimed to have produced embryonic-like stem cells from adult cells, have retracted them.
The papers said that almost any adult cell could be coaxed into becoming a stem cell just by dipping them in a bath of acid for 30 minutes. The method held great promise for regenerative medicine because it could be used to create any cell without needing to reprogram genes, or destroy an embryo. The team, led by researchers at the Riken Institute in Kobe, Japan, called this technique stimulus-triggered acquisition of pluripotency, or STAP.
But in the months after publication, no independent team was able to replicate the experiments. Instead, the researchers around the world scrutinising the papers exposed many flaws in the papers - including manipulated pictures of protein gel panels and mislabelled images. A public flogging of many high profile researchers ensued (see “”How the STAP cell story unfolded”, below) and Nature’s review process was thrust into the spotlight.
More: Acid-Bath Stem Cell Papers Are Finally Retracted - Health - 02 July 2014