PLOS One has retracted a 2011 paper "Involvement of FOXO Transcription Factors, TRAIL-FasL/Fas, and Sirtuin Proteins Family in Canine Coronavirus Type II-Induced Apoptosis" first flagged for image issues 11 years ago. The retraction marks the fourth for the paper’s lead author, Gabriella Marfè of the University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", in Caserta, Italy. Elisabeth Bik flagged the article on PubPeer in 2014 for apparent image manipulation and duplication in six figures. In a 2019 email to PLOS staff, pseudonymous sleuth Claire Francis drew attention to Bik’s findings. The journal retracted the paper on May 6, 2025.
In response to questions on why the retraction took so long, David Knutson, PLOS’s head of communications, told: "Our Publication Ethics team became aware of this case in 2019; We initially contacted the authors in 2019 to request their input on the concerns, but due to resourcing issues and competing priorities the case was then inactive until November 2024."
