When Researchers Disagree
Author(s):
Susan Okie
This article examines the case of Margot O'Toole, a post-doc researcher at MIT who brought concerns about the research of Thereza Imanishi-Kari, Nobel prize winner David Baltimore, and other senior scientists to light. Baltimore and Imanishi-Kari were two co-authors on a paper describing an immunology study published in the April 1986 issue of Cell. O'Toole was conducting research under Imanishi-Kari and was given a notebook containing data from the study as a reference. When her own experiments did not turn out as expected, O'Toole poured over the date in the notebook and subsequently uncovered what she believes are flaws in the Cell paper. She brought her concerns to a former teacher at Tufts, Dr. Henry Wortis, who was trying to recruit Imanishi-Kari. Dr. Wortis reviewed the data and concluded that there was no intentional falsification on the part of the authors. He pointed out that the data was subject to different interpretations. MIT immunologist Herman N. Eisen, who also reviewed the data, claimed that there were errors, but too minor to warrant a retraction.
As a result of her allegations, O'Toole claims she has been effectively barred from getting a job as a researcher. She worked for her brother's moving company for a while and is currently unemployed. It was likely that any investigations of Baltimore and Imanishi-Kari would have been dropped at this point. However, after persuading O'Toole to send them the data, Stewart and Feder, NIH scientists who have taken it upon themselves to criticize current scientific standards, conducted an unofficial investigation of their own. They concluded that the presentation of the data was misleading and inaccurate and that it seemed to contradict some of the researchers' own main conclusions. Stewart and Feder attempted to publish an article that discussed their findings, but reviewers for NIH claimed that a paper based only on an examination of partial data and without consultation with the Cell paper's authors should not be published. Stewart and Feder sent their paper to the authors and asked for more data, but the authors refused. The NIH finally allowed Stewart and Feder to submit their paper to Cell, but Cell refused to publish it.
Okie writes that this case raises questions about how allegations about the conduct of researchers are currently investigated and resolved. Two congressional committees have been formed to examine this case and its implications. Under the current system, the institution at which research is being conducted is largely responsible for monitoring scientific conduct. Critics of this system, like Stewart and Feder, argue that the influence and status of senior scientists like Baltimore prevent whistleblowers from being treated fairly and often keep them from getting grants and future positions. Furthermore, because investigative committees are comprised of other scientists with close professional ties, they are marred by conflicts of interest. For example, on the basis of this controversy, the NIH convened its own investigation. But the original committee had members who had worked with Baltimore in the past. Baltimore admits that the original committee was marred in this way. He suggests that a committee of immunologists be convened to determine the merits of his work. He claims that he has no special power that would cause fellow immunologists to "kowtow" to him.
Defenders of the current system of investigation, like Baltimore, claim that data often allows for more than one interpretation and that this is one such case. Baltimore admitted that one conclusion in his paper may have been an overstatement, but that this did not warrant a retraction. He further contends that O'Toole was treated fairly. Baltimore accuses Stewart and Feder of doing damage to science by undermining the trust that is so essential to scientific creativity and collaboration. Stewart and Feder defend their actions by claiming that by being the impetus for change, trust will eventually increase.
Abstract by Elysa R. Koppelman, Ph.D.