Jan 23 (NHK) - Scientists at Kyoto University say some of the data in a paper on stem cells published by a fellow researcher was fabricated.
Nobel Prize laureate Shinya Yamanaka, who heads the university's Center for iPS Cell Research and Application, and his colleagues unveiled the fabrication at a news conference on Monday.
The paper was published in a journal last February by assistant professor Kohei Yamamizu, a member of the center. He claimed that he had succeeded in producing blood-brain barrier tissue using human iPS cells.
The university set up a panel last July to investigate the credibility of the paper after doubts were raised about it by an outside source.
The investigation found 11 images were fabricated or altered to back up the paper's findings.
The university determined that Yamamizu, who had analyzed the data and made the illustrations, was responsible for the wrongdoing.
He has reportedly admitted to the falsifications, saying that he wanted to make the paper more visually appealing.
The university will ask the journal's publisher to retract the article, and punish those involved.
The center's leader, Yamanaka, expressed his regret to reporters and apologized for the wrongdoing. He said he will do his best to prevent a recurrence.
Source: ANNnewsCH
