Science Retracts Paper by Dana-Farber President Over Discrepancies in Multiple Figures

The journal Science retracted a 2006 paper by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute President and CEO Laurie H. Glimcher ’72 on Thursday due to discrepancies in several figures, following data manipulation allegations against her and three other DFCI executives earlier this year.

Glimcher was the corresponding author on the paper, the seventh authored by a top DFCI researcher to be retracted this year.

In January, four DFCI executives – Glimcher, Executive Vice President and COO William C. Hahn ’87, Senior Vice President for Experimental Medicine Irene M. Ghobrial, and Harvard Medical School professor Kenneth C. Anderson – were accused of manipulating figures in a slew of papers scrutinized in a Jan. 2 blog post by data sleuth Sholto David.

Following David’s allegations, DFCI retracted six papers and issued corrections to 31 others in late January.

The first author on the retracted paper — Buck Institute researcher Claudio Hetz — was investigated in 2021 for allegedly altering images in more than 20 articles published between 2002 and 2021. A committee formed at the University of Chile found him not guilty of scientific fraud, but cited “an enormous carelessness and lack of rigor” in a ten-page report following the inquiry.

Hetz disagreed with the decision to retract, and four authors could not be reached for comment, according to the retraction. The statement did not mention Glimcher.

Investigation of this paper began more than two years ago, according to the retraction.

“Based on an internal analysis that began in February 2021, the authors have become aware of discrepancies in the controls,” the retraction stated.

“The authors are no longer confident that these figures support the conclusions. As a result, the authors are retracting the paper,” the retraction note added.

“As journals complete their review of the information Dana-Farber authors have submitted to them, the publishers will decide whether and when to publish corrections or retractions,” a DFCI spokesperson wrote in an emailed statement.

“We encourage them to do so promptly so that the scientific record is accurate. This process is ongoing,” she added.

Glimcher did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

—Staff writer Veronica H. Paulus can be reached at veronica.paulus@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @VeronicaHPaulus.

—Staff writer Akshaya Ravi can be reached at akshaya.ravi@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @akshayaravi22.