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<\/a><\/p>\nStandard antibody solutions sold by Thermo generally cost $400\u2013500 (\u00a3300\u2013380) per 0.1ml vial. While some researchers may revalidate their antibodies by running their own Western blots, for many already facing research budget cuts, doing so can be \u2018prohibitively expensive\u2019, says Reese Richardson, science sleuth and researcher at Northwestern University who is gathering the findings into a repository<\/a>.<\/p>\n So far, various researchers and scientific image manipulations specialists have contributed over 460 images, showing various forms of image manipulation, from evidence of painting over sections of the image background, to protein binding bands that have been copied and pasted \u2013 sometimes being flipped or rotated to disguise the duplication.<\/p>\n Behind the paint<\/p>\n While some images may have been altered to remove marks that have little bearing on performance, Richardson says for others \u2018it\u2019s hard to imagine the blot was not manipulated to hide that the antibody doesn\u2019t work or that it binds to an off-target protein\u2019. He says until the original blots are provided, it can\u2019t be known what exactly the manipulations cover up. This uncertainty could hold back research projects, while others may now be left concerned that concluded work is now undermined.<\/p>\n For example, one blot shows a band implying specific binding to a particular protein. But upon closer inspection of the image, Richardson uncovered what looks like another band that has been \u2018painted over\u2019 or \u2018scratched out in Photoshop\u2019. This is well beyond accepted practice for data presentation which he says is usually limited to adding molecular weight markers, labelling the lanes and occasionally cropping the image.<\/p>\n \u2018Basically, what\u2019s acceptable is making it easier to read by adding context \u2013 not by covering things up, not by taking things away.\u2019 He explains that blots for around 200 of Thermo\u2019s antibodies have bands pasted onto the exact same background pattern. \u2018These experiments probably didn\u2019t take place at all,\u2019 Richardson says. \u2018They\u2019re taking an existing blot, removing the band that was there and superimposing a new band on \u2013 oftentimes, they\u2019re superimposing the same band in different places. It\u2019s insane.\u2019<\/p>\n This is also a story of the research community coming together, with researchers from across the world helping find examples of manipulation for the repository. An immunologist in Canada, Bryan Heit shared on BlueSky<\/a> one such example of a monoclonal antibody that had received Thermo Fisher\u2019s \u2018Advanced Verification\u2019 label, but which appears to include pasted blocks over several areas of the background. \u2018Strangely enough, we could never get this antibody to work\u2026\u2019 Heit wrote.\u00a0<\/p>\n What started with a simple search out of scientific interest, has spiralled into over 460 altered Western blot images. The copy-and-paste examples have shifted the perspective of even experienced image integrity expert and analytical scientist Sholto David. He explains that the most troubling examples were the \u2018systematically manipulated\u2019 images sharing the same background, that don\u2019t appear to be based on \u2018any authentic data\u2019.<\/p>\n \u2018There\u2019s a very large number of implicated blots there. My assumption when I see a blot on a supplier website is it\u2019s an authentic piece of scientific data, so that\u2019s quite shocking. I was surprised by the response they put on their website. The statement that images may have been \u201coptimised for presentation\u201d I find quite ridiculous.\u2019<\/p>\n Transparency and accountability<\/p>\n The findings have called Thermo\u2019s credibility and integrity into question among the research community. Another expert in spotting research fraud, Elisabeth Bik, says the response from Thermo to the allegations is \u2018extremely disappointing\u2019.<\/p>\n The company\u2019s original response said some images: \u2018may have been adjusted to improve clarity for presentation purposes. These adjustments should not alter the scientific meaning of the data, and the Company is taking steps to help customers distinguish original images from optimized website versions.\u2019<\/p>\n This has since been removed from Thermo\u2019s transparency FAQ<\/a> webpage. Initially published with responses to 15 points, the page was later amended to 7 shorter questions and answers. Thermo Fisher tells\u00a0Chemistry World that the change reflects \u2018learnings from our ongoing review\u2019.<\/p>\n Thermo has not confirmed whether findings of the internal review will be made public, but a representative said: \u2018We remain confident in the quality of the products within our antibody catalog and continue to stand behind those products through our Invitrogen\u2122 Antibody Performance Guarantee<\/a>. Customers [\u2026] may\u202fcontact Thermo Fisher for support.\u2019<\/p>\n Even if many of the antibodies with manipulated Western blots still work, Bik explains that the broken trust with the research community will take a long time to repair. \u2018People feel betrayed, they spend money for reagents to do their experiments, often taxpayers\u2019 money.\u2019<\/p>\n \u2018Here there\u2019s no clear audit or regulation to prevent this, they\u2019re private companies so they can almost do whatever they like so that\u2019s a big problem,\u2019 Bik adds. \u2018How can we ever trust this company again knowing what it\u2019s done? We need a big response from the company and a real promise to do things differently moving forward.\u2019<\/p>\n David adds that while some examples may still work as suggested, others may be sold as specific and are instead non-specific or binding the wrong target, causing major problems for researchers. Richardson says the research community is \u2018spitting mad and rightfully so\u2019, with the impact spanning not just the cost of reagents but time lost to troubleshooting problems in their research. \u2018An antibody that doesn\u2019t work can delay experiments for months, lead you down rabbit holes you\u2019re never going to get out of, and cause misleading results,\u2019 he explains.<\/p>\n Way worse than anticipated<\/p>\n The examples uncovered are \u2018very likely the tip of the iceberg\u2019, according to Bik who adds that Thermo\u2019s response is \u2018almost more damaging\u2019 than the discovery of the photoshopped images.<\/p>\n She says this widespread manipulation is \u2018likely part of a company culture\u2019 that could apply to other products, leaving scientists doubting the company\u2019s wider catalogue. \u2018There are many more [images] we have not yet annotated and several dozen reports from the research community from Thermo\u2019s catalogue and others too. It\u2019s so far beyond what we\u2019ve manually annotated so far, it would make your head spin. This archive is going to several times its current size \u2013 it is huge.\u2019<\/p>\n \u2018It is way worse than you could possibly imagine,\u2019 adds Richardson. He says researchers can look to YCharOS<\/a>, an independent organisation validating antibodies on the market using gold standard protocols for best practice. This involves using a cell line expressing the protein an antibody should bind to, and a \u2018knockout\u2019 line where that protein is removed to show that the antibody does not bind to anything in the knockout cell line, and hence its binding is specific. While essential to ensure that antibodies work as intended, Richardson explains this is an \u2018expensive and labour-intensive\u2019 process.<\/p>\n Some of the manipulated Western blots for antibodies are marked as having undergone Thermo\u2019s advanced verification. When asked what other data researchers can look to if they do not trust the Western blot, a representative for the company said: \u2018Thermo Fisher uses\u202festablished scientific and quality review practices<\/a> to support antibody validation and specificity. These may include, as appropriate for the product and application: review of source data, validation methods, controls, product documentation and performance information.<\/p>\n The Company\u2019s Invitrogen antibody portfolio is validated against\u202fpublished standards including the International Working Group for Antibody Validation (IWGAV) framework, which encompasses genetic strategies, orthogonal methods, and independent antibody approaches.\u2019<\/p>\n Thermo\u2019s antibody verification page<\/a> details the different methods used, including knockout or knockdown cell lines, and says that raw-unedited images \u2018may be provided\u2019 upon request. In its review, Thermo Fisher says it is working to ensure Western blots are \u2018clearly identified as either \u201craw-unedited\u201d or as images that may have been edited, optimized or otherwise adjusted for presentation.\u2019<\/p>\n Richardson echoes Bik\u2019s concerns, saying the response is an \u2018abject farce\u2019 that is not only shocking to see from such a large corporation, but includes inherent contradictions: \u2018They say that they\u2019re committed to transparency, but if what we\u2019ve seen qualifies as \u2018optimisation for presentation\u2019, I don\u2019t know what the hell transparency is going to look like.\u2019<\/p>\n \u2018If companies react like this and that\u2019s treated as okay, then others companies will be much more willing to engage in this [manipulation]. They could have said: \u201cWe\u2019re pulling these products while we investigate and we\u2019re going to deliver a full public report.\u201d But, based on their response, I do not have a lot of hope,\u2019 he adds.<\/p>\n Beyond the blot<\/p>\n Though this manipulation identified among research community has left many in shock, problematic antibody reagent performance is not new. A 2023 report from YCharOS<\/a> estimated around 50% of the antibodies it reviewed failed in at least one validation test. Given this, Richardson says he expects a \u2018huge fraction\u2019 of the antibodies with manipulated Western blots don\u2019t work. YCharOS also estimates that using unvalidated, ineffective antibodies \u2018likely wastes $1 billion in research funding each year\u2019.<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/550163_ma532797hprt1wb2_annotated_859564.png\")
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