STAP cells remain in question

The RIKEN Institute sees no reason to revise the work on STAP cells

Ekaterina Plyasunkova, RIA NovostiA special committee of the RIKEN Institute investigating the scandal around stem STAP cells refused to conduct a second study of "acid cells," NHK reported on Wednesday.

Thus, the TV channel notes, RIKEN "did not see any grounds to satisfy the request of one of the creators of stem STAP cells to re-examine the results of the study."

According to a group of scientists on the RIKEN committee, additional documentation on the method and details of scientific research provided by 30-year-old Haruko Obokata in the period up to May 6 is not sufficient to organize a re-examination of the results of her scientific work.

The results of the investigation will be presented at a special meeting of the RIKEN Institute for further approval. After that, the document will be sent to Obokata's lawyers for consideration. The channel has not yet been able to receive comments from RIKEN.

At the end of January 2014, a group of scientists from the USA and Japan, led by Obokata, published an article in the journal Nature in which they claimed that it was possible to turn ordinary cells into stem cells without interfering with their genetic code by exposing them to acid. It became a sensation in the scientific world.

However, immediately after the article appeared, a number of scientists drew attention to some inaccuracies in the study. No scientist has yet managed to repeat the results of Obokata and her colleagues. The RIKEN Institute has appointed its own investigation, as a result of which it came to the conclusion that the research data contains forgeries and inaccuracies.

Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru07.005.2014