Science Translational Medicine on Oct. 14 announced the retraction of a paper on COVID-19 vaccination after learning the report contained fake data and images.
More than three years after publishing “SARS-CoV-2 S2–targeted vaccination elicits broadly neutralizing antibodies,” the journal stated that an investigation conducted by an institution for which some of the authors worked or work determined that the paper included “fabricated data” and “falsified images,” the retraction note stated.
The paper had claimed that experiments showed vaccination against SARS-CoV-2, or COVID-19, elicited strong antibodies.
The Francis Crick Institute in London conducted the investigation and concluded that first author Kevin W. Ng was responsible for the fake data and images. Ng, who worked for the institute in 2022, when the paper was published, has admitted responsibility, according to the note. …