The Acid Test for Biological Science: STAP Cells, Trust, and Replication

Abstract

In January 2014, a letter and original research article were published in Nature describing a process whereby somatic mouse cells could be converted into stem cells by subjecting them to stress. These "stimulus-triggered acquisition of pluripotency" (STAP) cells were shown to be capable of contributing to all cell types of a developing embryo, and extra-embryonic tissues. The lead author of the publications, Haruko Obokata, became an overnight celebrity in Japan, where she was dubbed the new face of Japanese science. However, in the weeks that followed publication of the research, issues arose. Other laboratories and researchers (including authors on the original papers) found that they were unable to replicate Obokata et al.'s work. Closer scrutiny of the papers by the scientific community also suggested that there was manipulation of images that had been published, and Obokata was accused of misconduct. Those who should have been supervising her work (also her co-authors on the publications) were also heavily criticised. The STAP cell saga of 2014 is used as an example to highlight the importance of trust and replication in twenty-first century biological science. The role of trust in the scientific community is highlighted, and the effects on interactions between science and the public examined. Similarly, this essay aims to highlight the importance of replication, and how this is understood by researchers, the media, and the public. The expected behaviour of scientists in the twenty-first century is now more closely scrutinised.

Ordinary Citizens? Expectations for Regenerative Medicine and Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Researches in Japan

“…Individuals involved in the disease have excessive expectations for the effect of regenerative medicine on agerelated macular degeneration; therefore, current television-centered information acquisition may be insufficient. With the example of issues related to Stimulus-Triggered Acquisition of Pluripotency (STAP) cells [6], scientific news reporting via television tends to prioritize sensationalism over accurate scientific information. A previous study reported that there is no association between information acquisition via television and scientific knowledge, although information acquisition via the Internet is associated with scientific knowledge [7].…”

Public Response to Scientific Misconduct: Assessing Changes in Public Sentiment Toward the Stimulus-Triggered Acquisition of Pluripotency (STAP) Cell Case via Twitter

“…Where such data were lacking, secondary sources were vetted and compiled [23,27-29]. All data obtained were used and reported according to the terms and privacy policies of the respective data sources.…”

Some Insights into the Factors Influencing Continuous Citation of Retracted Scientific Papers

“…The 2014 Obokata paper is one of two papers retracted in Nature that are first-authored by stem cell researcher Haruko Obokata, which initially elicited much interest and excitement that rapidly spiraled downwards into a dramatic case of misconduct [36,37]. In what might be called the stimulus-triggered acquisition of pluripotency (STAP) cells affair, the purported findings of somatic cells being readily reprogrammed into pluripotent stem-cell-like states in an acidic bath were quickly shown to be irreproducible by others eager to verify the phenomenon, and ultimately failed to be replicated even by the authors themselves [38,39].…”