A US government scientist may have published fake images in a paper on Alzheimer’s disease, a report has claimed.
Eliezer Masria, who headed the neuroscience division at the National Institute on Aging, a government health agency, has been a central figure in research into Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases for decades.
However, an investigation by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) found Dr. Maslia guilty of research misconduct for “falsifying and/or fabricating” graphic panels used to present experimental results.
According to the journal Science, which conducted an independent investigation into Dr. Masria, he may also have altered photographs used in some of his research papers.
“The documents show that all four (papers) clearly used manipulated images, and that other Masrias cited in the clinical trial report as important to the development of plasinezumab (for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease) The same goes for the paper,” Science magazine reported.
The alterations are alleged to include “duplicating the same image with different captions for different studies in different journals.”
According to the NIH, two studies co-authored by Dr. Masria may have involved misconduct.
“Falsification/fabrication”
In a statement, the NIH said, “As a result of our investigation, the National Institutes of Health has determined that Eliezer Masliah, M.D., has been charged with research misconduct due to falsification and/or fabrication, including the reuse and relabeling of figure panels representing different experimental results. I discovered the act.” In two publications.
“NIH plans to notify the two journals of the findings so that appropriate action can be taken.
“NIH began the research misconduct review process in May 2023 following a complaint from the HHS Office of Research Integrity (ORI) that same month. NIH began the investigation phase in December 2023 and completed the review process in September 2024. We completed our investigation of these allegations on March 15th and notified HHS ORI of our findings.”
A Science investigation published days after the NIH findings claimed that “many” of the studies in Dr. Masria’s lab “contained significant amounts” of clearly manipulated images.
The journal reportedly reported its findings to neuroscientists and forensic analysts, who later said that the more than 100 studies Dr. Masria published over 20 years included a “constant stream of questionable images.” claimed to be included.
Dr. Maslia, a former professor at the University of California, San Diego, was appointed director of the National Institute on Aging in 2016, when Congress significantly increased funding for Alzheimer’s disease research.
Dr. Masria’s department had a budget of $2.6 billion, and he was one of the most influential figures in neuroscience, with the power to set research priorities in the field.
His own research, spanning approximately 800 publications, particularly on proteins such as alpha-synuclein associated with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, is widely cited and utilized in clinical and drug development efforts.
“Abnormal data”
However, experts cited by Science say many of the studies they analyzed contain “unusual data patterns” that warrant further investigation.
A forensic investigation led by neuroscientist Matthew Schrag and image analyst Kevin Patrick identified problems in 132 papers published between 1997 and 2023. The research team found allegedly altered Western blots (images used to detect proteins) and micrographs of brain tissue that were allegedly altered.
In some cases, there was clear overlap in images between different studies published years apart with contradictory experimental conditions.
The apparently manipulated images raise questions about the competency and integrity of Dr. Masliah’s research, said Columbia University neurobiologist Mu Yang, who analyzed some of Masliah’s published work, in Science. told.
Dr. Masria’s research plays an important role in advancing drug trials involving placinezumab.
His research also helped obtain approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to conduct clinical trials for the drug.
side effects
However, results from the 2022 plasinezumab trial showed no significant effect in treating Parkinson’s disease.
The 300-page document about the apparently manipulated images as part of Dr. Masria’s research “astonished the 11 neuroscientists who consented to the study,” according to Science magazine.
“People will of course be shocked, and so was I…I basically fell off my chair,” said Christian Haas of Ludwig-Maximilians University in Munich.
Although the researchers “have not personally reviewed every instance of potential misconduct,” they agree that “most questionable research cannot be reasonably explained as an inadvertent error or publication anomaly.” ”Science magazine reported.
Samuel Gandy, a neurologist at Mount Sinai Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, became visibly upset as he discussed the document “during a video interview” with Science, the magazine said.
“I was shocked,” Dr. Gandy said. “Hundreds of images. There must have been continuous operations over many years.”
According to Science, Dr. Masria and the institutions associated with his research, including the NIH and the University of California, San Diego, have yet to publicly dispute the document’s findings.
Dr. Masria and the NIH have been contacted for comment.
