I wonder how many times someone (individual or corporation) puts out an RFP (request for proposal) with a specific $$ figure attached. For someone to create a study to prove or disprove a specific conclusion. This is not an isolated situation with Dana-Farber, I have seen, over the years, numerous studies that have had questionable data used to facilitate the study producing a predetermined conclusion. We have all seen various federal/state agencies with agendas that do not match up with the “real facts”, but they continue to align with and support the agenda of the agency that employs them. According to this article, it seems that there can be little/no consequences for those doing such shenanigans.

Dana-Farber expands studies to be retracted to 6, plus 31 to be corrected over mishandled data

https://www.statnews.com/2024/01/22/dana-farber-research-retractions-corrections/

A review of alleged data manipulation in studies involving four top scientists at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute has led to plans to retract six papers and correct 31 manuscripts, the institute confirmed on Monday.

The news comes as the famed cancer research and treatment center is now reviewing scores of studies co-authored by some of its leading researchers, including CEO Laurie Glimcher, COO William Hahn, and prominent scientists Irene Ghobrial and Kenneth Anderson.

Dana-Farber confirmed the retractions and corrections in progress in an email to STAT, which reported on Friday that researchers were preparing to retract one paper and correct others. The higher numbers were first reported by the Wall Street Journal, which also reported that Dana-Farber concluded three papers needed no corrective action. But the institute did not say precisely which studies would be retracted or corrected.

“Correcting the scientific record is a common practice of institutions with strong research integrity processes at which basic research is conducted. Some of the potential errors that blogger Sholto David flagged had come up in our ongoing reviews,” Dana-Farber told STAT.

During a conversation with STAT last week, the institute’s research integrity officer, Barrett Rollins, said that all of the cases that have been assessed thus far appear “credible,” a term meaning the allegation carried enough scientific merit to warrant more investigation. STAT did not receive immediate clarification regarding whether Dana-Farber had recently decided to retract or correct additional papers.

The institute’s review of past research involving these four scientists grew after David, a molecular biologist who blogs about research integrity, wrote a Jan. 2 post flagging issues with dozens of studies and the Harvard Crimson covered it. The cancer institute, a teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School, noted in a statement that Dana-Farber had taken “prompt and decisive action” in many of the cases flagged by David for which data now under scrutiny were generated in a Dana-Farber lab.

The corrections in progress include correction submissions that are currently being prepared for submission, awaiting acceptance from journals, and corrections that journals have already accepted. An additional manuscript with a potential error is still under examination, according to Dana-Farber.

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