Science
Related: About this forumGlobal patent war looms with epoch-making discovery of STAP cells
February 03, 2014
THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
Japanese researcher Haruko Obokata's recent breakthrough in the creation of pluripotent stem cells in mice is set to trigger an all-out global patent war.
This is because of the huge potential for applications in regenerative medicine and related fields.
The 30-year-old stem cell biologist, who is head of a research team at the Riken Center for Developmental Biology (CDB) in Kobe, made world headlines last week after the prestigious British scientific journal Nature carried her discovery of a new method to create pluripotent stem cells in mice.
It initially rejected a paper submitted by Obokata on her research into stimulus-triggered acquisition of pluripotency (STAP), calling it unbelievable.
STAP cell creation is simpler than the process for induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, and gene damage in STAP cells is minimal compared with embryonic stem cells...
http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/social_affairs/AJ201402030077
See also: Acid bath offers easy path to stem cells
http://www.democraticunderground.com/122826576
PumpkinAle
(1,210 posts)I wish them well, but it seems as if the pharmaceutical companies are always in the wings waiting to apply for "patents" even though they had nothing to do with the original discovery.
BrotherIvan
(9,126 posts)And now they only bring drugs and treatments to market that will be huge sellers, ignoring many conditions because of the financials. I wish she could publish the whole thing to be public domain and somehow prevent the patents. I don't begrudge her any financial success from this discovery, but if it is an ground breaking as it seems, entirely changing medicine as we know it, that would be a huge gift to the world. Corporations such as drug companies that have shown themselves to be so corrupt should not be trusted.
defacto7
(13,485 posts)Not to mention the fact that big pharma is well versed at slowing the process of advancement down sometimes to a halt. Everything is determined by whatever method is the most profitable; the needs of humans is not a factor.
muriel_volestrangler
(101,411 posts)It was reported in January that dipping cells in acid could cheaply and quickly convert them into stem cells.
But questions were raised about the images used in the scientific report and other research groups have failed to reproduce the results.
Author Prof Teruhiko Wakayama said: "It is no longer clear what is right."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-26516458
kristopher
(29,798 posts)Last edited Tue Mar 11, 2014, 02:07 AM - Edit history (1)
Riken to respond to doubts about groundbreaking STAP cell researchMar 9 2014
http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/social_affairs/AJ201403090021
Riken is the Research Institute where the work was done. From a Japan Times article:
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/03/10/national/co-author-urges-retraction-of-groundbreaking-stem-cell-study/
I've been sick for the past few days and hadn't seen the latest. I know there are instances of brazen deception but the scope of involved researchers seems to me to work against that possibility. I can't help but wonder if creating a window for challenging the patent isn't somehow a part of the controversy. There is potentially a huge amount of money at stake.
The AJW page linked above includes links to the articles below
Riken discloses method for creating STAP cells after doubts raised
March 06, 2014
One of Japans top research bodies released online detailed steps of its revolutionary method to create artificial stem cells after scientists around the world said they are unable to replicate the trailblazing work.
A recent article in Nature magazine highlights research scientist Haruko Obokata and her colleagues' discovery of STAP cells.
Harvard scientist admits 'minor errors' in STAP cell report
February 22, 2014
WASHINGTON--A scientist who co-authored highly acclaimed research papers on a new type of pluripotent stem cell developed by a Japanese researcher admitted to "minor errors" in images, but said the findings were not compromised.
A recent article in Nature magazine highlights research scientist Haruko Obokata and her colleagues' discovery of STAP cells.
Co-authors admit 'mistakes' in images published by STAP cell scientist
February 19, 2014
A highly acclaimed study by Haruko Obokata, a rising star in Japanese scientific circles, who said she discovered a new and simple method to engineer pluripotent stem cells, is facing allegations that some of the images documenting her finding show irregularities.
Yamanaka labels concerns over iPS cells as 'misconception'
February 11, 2014
KYOTO--Nobel Prize laureate Shinya Yamanaka said the safety of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells has improved greatly in recent years, and reports that iPS cells can easily turn cancerous compared to recently discovered STAP stem cells are a misconception.
Scientists create iPS cells 20 times more efficiently than predecessors
February 07, 2014
Scientists have discovered a new method to generate induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells that is 20 times more efficient than conventional methods.
ETA: Added newer story that has more details:
<snip>
Wakayama said he used STAP cells received from Obokata in chimaeric mouse generation but was not involved in creating the cells.
He said he called for a retraction to other co-authors after learning that the STAP cell paper may have used images from a doctoral thesis of Obokata.
Wakayama said he will ask a third party to provide a detailed analysis of the STAP cells.
The paper was published in two installments by a total of 14 people in the British scientific journal Nature in late January.
Charles Vacanti of Harvard Medical School is among the 14. David Cameron, director of science communication at the school, said: We are fully committed to upholding the highest standards of ethics. . . .
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/03/11/national/co-author-urges-retraction-of-groundbreaking-stem-cell-study/
kristopher
(29,798 posts)March 12, 2014
THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
The Riken national research institute is facing increasing pressure from within the science community to take prompt action over controversial published reports on a new type of pluripotent cells.
"The data used in the articles comes with many flaws, which makes it difficult to say that their conclusions are based on scientific facts and are sufficiently guaranteed," the Molecular Biology Society of Japan said in a statement March 11. "The numerous cases of intentional doctoring go far beyond the chances that they can be ascribed to simple mistakes."
....
At a news conference the same day, Riken officials said they were considering the possible withdrawal of the pair of articles about a novel mechanism called "stimulus-triggered acquisition of pluripotency" (STAP), which appeared in the prestigious Nature magazine in January.
But they reiterated their claims that the core part of the research has not been compromised.
...
http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/social_affairs/AJ201403120033
Riken will hold a press conference on the 14th to share their findings to date.
The English version of Obokatasan's PhD dissertation is also receiving additional scrutiny.
Questions have been raised about Obokata's doctoral dissertation in English, which she submitted to Waseda University in Tokyo in February 2011.
Waseda officials are looking into the discrepancies involved in the thesis.
"We are in the process of confirming the facts," a university official said. "An evaluation of whether the degree should be withdrawn will be made after the investigation is completed."
In the dissertation, a bibliography is strikingly similar to the list of reference materials included in an article by other scientists.
The paper was about finding stem cells with pluripotency from within animals and did not have anything to do with STAP cells.
<snip>
http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/social_affairs/AJ201403120055