Papers behind stem cell breakthrough likely to be retracted

Early this year, researchers reported what appeared to be an incredibly simple procedure that could convert nearly any type of cell into a stem cell. But an apparent moment of triumph represented by these two papers quickly turned sour as many researchers reported difficulty reproducing the procedure, and the high-profile results drew attention to one of the lead authors' past brushes with research misconduct.

A subsequent investigation found issues with the new stem cell papers, some of which could involve research misconduct. That led at least one of the papers' authors to call for them to be retracted. The other authors, however, didn't agree, leaving the papers in a sort of limbo.

The limbo may be over. Earlier this week, reports indicated that genetic tests of the stem cells used in the paper showed that they were unrelated to the mouse from which they were supposed to have been derived. And yesterday, news broke that the investigator at the center of the controversy, Haruko Obokata, has agreed to ask that the two papers be retracted.