An article by Genentech scientists received an extensive correction in January, 2025 for multiple instances of image duplications after comments on PubPeer spurred the authors to review the work. The article, "Death-receptor activation halts clathrin-dependent endocytosis", appeared in July 2006 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, with a correction issued that September.
In June 2023, an anonymous user on PubPeer commented on elements of figure 2 of the paper that appeared "more similar than expected". Another user chimed in with an additional finding in the same figure. Three of the paper’s authors responded in August 2023. "We agree that the images are problematic and are undertaking a comprehensive examination of the image data in the article", the three authors wrote. "We will then update journal editors to determine an appropriate course of action".
On January 3 of this year, PNAS published a correction detailing about two dozen instances of splicing, both vertical and horizontal, and duplication in five of the paper’s figures. The authors stated they found the issues with the help of an expert. The sleuth who identified the additional duplication said the original article should have been retracted instead of corrected.
More: https://retractionwatch.com/2025/02/25/exclusive-extensive-correction-genentech-pnas-update/
