Silvia Bulfone-Paus (born Silvia Bulfone) is an Italian immunologist. She is the chair of the Research Center Borstel's Department of Immunology and Cell Biology[1][2] and also serves as professor of Immunobiology at the University of Manchester School of Medicine.[1]

Her lab at Research Center Borstel was downsized in 2010 after several investigations into scientific misconduct at her lab.[3] Thirteen papers that she authored were retracted as a result of those investigations.[4]

Career

Bulfone-Paus specializes her research in the biology of the immune response, especially cytokines and mast cells.[1] Mast cells secrete a substance known as histamine, which produces inflammation.[5] Cytokines are small molecules made of amino acids.[6] These cell-signaling molecules play a role in the immune response and include interferons and interleukins.[6]

Scientific misconduct investigations

After charges of scientific misconduct in Bulfone-Paus's immunology department, an external investigation was launched July 2010.[7] Anonymous whistleblower(s) began a campaign against Bulfone-Paus and her husband, emailing the investigators, other scientists, and politicians, alerting them to instances of fraud in Bulfone-Paus’ laboratory.[7][8]

The investigation committee found that two former post-doctoral students in the lab were guilty of using pictures from unrelated experiments to support their findings in six papers written between 2001 and 2009.[7] Bulfone-Paus was listed as either the senior or corresponding author on all six of the publications.[7] The committee found that Bulfone-Paus bore "substantial responsibility" for the manipulations as their supervisor.[7]

The Research Centre Borstel believed a more extensive investigation was warranted and commenced its own internal investigation.[7] In December 2010, officials at the research center made it known they were asking for the retraction of six further papers, written between 1999 and 2005, all authored or co-authored by Silvia Bulfone-Paus.[9][10] In response to the findings of their investigation, the Research Centre Borstel downsized Bulfone-Paus’ laboratory and decreased the funding of the lab.[3]

In June 2010, the University of Lübeck, in Germany, began investigations into six papers authored by Bulfone-Paus’ husband, Ralf Paus.[3] Of the six articles in question, Bulfone-Paus was listed as co-author on five of them.[3] Neither of the post-doctoral students were listed as co-authors.[3]

In December 2010, the journal Transplantation stated they were retracting another of Bulfone-Paus’ papers.[11][12] The article, published in 2000, was retracted because of “inaccurate information” for two figures contained in the paper.[12] The post-doctoral students were not listed as contributing authors.[12]

In December 2012, Germany's main research funding agency DFG completed its investigation into Bulfone-Paus’ laboratory and found that Bulfone-Paus was grossly negligent in her supervision and retroactively sanctioned her from applying for funding for three years.[13]

Personal life

Bulfone-Paus is married to Ralf Paus, a professor in Dermatology at the University of Münster in Germany.[14] Paus also holds a position as Professor of Cutaneous Medicine at the University of Manchester.[14] Bulfone-Paus and Paus have three children.[14]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Professor Silvia Bulfone-Paus, research profile". University of Manchester. Retrieved 15 January 2012.
  2. ↑ "Leibniz-Zentrum Borstel: Department of Immunology and Cell Biology". Leibniz-Zentrum Borstel. Retrieved 15 January 2012.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Jump, Paul (2 June 2011). "Husband and wife in data duplication papers probe". Times Higher Education. Retrieved 17 January 2012.
  4. ↑ Marcus, Ivan Oransky, Adam (24 June 2016). "Do scientific fraudsters deserve a second chance?". STAT. Retrieved 11 September 2023.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. ↑ "Mastocytosis: What It Is and How It's Diagnosed and Treated". American Family Physician. 59 (11): 3059–3060. June 1999. Retrieved 19 January 2012.
  6. 1 2 "Cytokine Definition". Medicine Net. Retrieved 17 January 2012.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Schiermeier, Quirin (December 2010). "German research centre widens misconduct probe". Nature. doi:10.1038/news.2010.671. Retrieved 17 January 2012.
  8. ↑ "'Smear Campaign'..." (PDF). Lab Times (1): 3. February 2011. Retrieved 17 January 2012.
  9. ↑ "Response to Open Letter" (PDF). Research Centre Borstel. Retrieved 17 January 2012.
  10. ↑ Oransky, Ivan (2011-01-18). "Four more Bulfone-Paus paper retractions accepted". Retraction Watch Blog. Retrieved 13 January 2012.
  11. ↑ Marcus, Adam (2011-12-13). "Bulfone-Paus retraction count grows to 13 with one in Transplantation". Retraction Watch. Retrieved 17 January 2012.
  12. 1 2 3 Jump, Paul (13 December 2011). "New retraction of paper by husband and wife research team". Times Higher Education. Retrieved 17 January 2012.
  13. ↑ Merlot, Julia (12 December 2012). "DFG erteilt Immunologin Bulfone-Paus Rüge wegen Fehlverhaltens". Der Spiegel (in German). Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  14. 1 2 3 "Professor Ralf Paus - personal details". University of Manchester. Retrieved 15 January 2012.
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