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Credit: Associated Press
After months of trying, Haruko Obokata, PhD, and a team of researchers at her institution, RIKEN, have failed to produce stimulus-triggered acquisition of pluripotency (STAP) cells.
Officials from RIKEN said they have accepted Dr Obokata’s resignation, and the institution has decided to end its efforts to recreate the STAP cell phenomenon.
Dr Obokata and her colleagues initially reported the creation of STAP cells in an article and a letter published in Nature last January. The researchers said they had induced pluripotency in somatic cells by exposing the cells to a low-pH environment.
Not long after the papers were published, members of the scientific community began to question the validity of the research.
So RIKEN launched an investigation, ultimately concluding that Dr Obokata was guilty of misconduct, and some of her colleagues—including the deceased Yoshiki Sasai, MD, PhD—were guilty of negligence.
RIKEN also called for the papers to be retracted, and, in July, they were.
Throughout these proceedings, Dr Obokata insisted the STAP cell phenomenon is real. To investigate this claim, RIKEN organized a group of researchers to recreate Dr Obokata’s experiments.
In August, the group reported initial results, saying their attempts had failed, but they would continue trying to create STAP cells until March 2015. Meanwhile, Dr Obokata was trying to recreate the STAP cell phenomenon on her own, under supervision.
Shinichi Aizawa, PhD, the leader of RIKEN’s team, explained the final results of their experiments, as well as Dr Obokata’s, in a press conference in Tokyo on Friday.
Dr Obokata was able to show a fluorescent phenomenon that indicates the possibility of pluripotency in cells, albeit at a very low rate. However, she could not confirm the pluripotency of STAP cells in mice.
The RIKEN team had similar results. So they have decided not to continue with the experiments.
RIKEN accepted Dr Obokata’s resignation, and a disciplinary committee has been discussing how they will reprimand her for research misconduct. RIKEN officials said they will make an announcement once the decision has been made. 
Credit: Associated Press
After months of trying, Haruko Obokata, PhD, and a team of researchers at her institution, RIKEN, have failed to produce stimulus-triggered acquisition of pluripotency (STAP) cells.
Officials from RIKEN said they have accepted Dr Obokata’s resignation, and the institution has decided to end its efforts to recreate the STAP cell phenomenon.
Dr Obokata and her colleagues initially reported the creation of STAP cells in an article and a letter published in Nature last January. The researchers said they had induced pluripotency in somatic cells by exposing the cells to a low-pH environment.
Not long after the papers were published, members of the scientific community began to question the validity of the research.
So RIKEN launched an investigation, ultimately concluding that Dr Obokata was guilty of misconduct, and some of her colleagues—including the deceased Yoshiki Sasai, MD, PhD—were guilty of negligence.
RIKEN also called for the papers to be retracted, and, in July, they were.
Throughout these proceedings, Dr Obokata insisted the STAP cell phenomenon is real. To investigate this claim, RIKEN organized a group of researchers to recreate Dr Obokata’s experiments.
In August, the group reported initial results, saying their attempts had failed, but they would continue trying to create STAP cells until March 2015. Meanwhile, Dr Obokata was trying to recreate the STAP cell phenomenon on her own, under supervision.
Shinichi Aizawa, PhD, the leader of RIKEN’s team, explained the final results of their experiments, as well as Dr Obokata’s, in a press conference in Tokyo on Friday.
Dr Obokata was able to show a fluorescent phenomenon that indicates the possibility of pluripotency in cells, albeit at a very low rate. However, she could not confirm the pluripotency of STAP cells in mice.
The RIKEN team had similar results. So they have decided not to continue with the experiments.
RIKEN accepted Dr Obokata’s resignation, and a disciplinary committee has been discussing how they will reprimand her for research misconduct. RIKEN officials said they will make an announcement once the decision has been made.
Credit: Associated Press
After months of trying, Haruko Obokata, PhD, and a team of researchers at her institution, RIKEN, have failed to produce stimulus-triggered acquisition of pluripotency (STAP) cells.
Officials from RIKEN said they have accepted Dr Obokata’s resignation, and the institution has decided to end its efforts to recreate the STAP cell phenomenon.
Dr Obokata and her colleagues initially reported the creation of STAP cells in an article and a letter published in Nature last January. The researchers said they had induced pluripotency in somatic cells by exposing the cells to a low-pH environment.
Not long after the papers were published, members of the scientific community began to question the validity of the research.
So RIKEN launched an investigation, ultimately concluding that Dr Obokata was guilty of misconduct, and some of her colleagues—including the deceased Yoshiki Sasai, MD, PhD—were guilty of negligence.
RIKEN also called for the papers to be retracted, and, in July, they were.
Throughout these proceedings, Dr Obokata insisted the STAP cell phenomenon is real. To investigate this claim, RIKEN organized a group of researchers to recreate Dr Obokata’s experiments.
In August, the group reported initial results, saying their attempts had failed, but they would continue trying to create STAP cells until March 2015. Meanwhile, Dr Obokata was trying to recreate the STAP cell phenomenon on her own, under supervision.
Shinichi Aizawa, PhD, the leader of RIKEN’s team, explained the final results of their experiments, as well as Dr Obokata’s, in a press conference in Tokyo on Friday.
Dr Obokata was able to show a fluorescent phenomenon that indicates the possibility of pluripotency in cells, albeit at a very low rate. However, she could not confirm the pluripotency of STAP cells in mice.
The RIKEN team had similar results. So they have decided not to continue with the experiments.
RIKEN accepted Dr Obokata’s resignation, and a disciplinary committee has been discussing how they will reprimand her for research misconduct. RIKEN officials said they will make an announcement once the decision has been made.