Genetics Journal, a major scientific publisher, has retracted 17 papers from China, in what is believed to be the largest mass retraction of academic research over human rights concerns.
The paper was published in the genetics journal Molecular Genetics & Genomic Medicine (MGGM) published by the American academic publisher Wiley. The papers were retracted on February 12 after an agreement between the journal's editor-in-chief, Suzanne Hart, and the publisher. During a review process that took more than two years, researchers found “inconsistencies” between the study and the consent documents provided by the researchers.
The papers by various scientists are all based on research based on DNA samples collected from the Chinese population. In some cases, researchers have used samples from populations that experts and human rights activists have deemed vulnerable to exploitation and repression in China, and are not free to take such samples. There was concern that we would not be able to agree.
Some of the researchers have ties to Chinese security authorities, a fact that “invalidates the concept of free and informed consent,” said Yves, a professor of engineering at the University of Leuven in Belgium who focuses on DNA analysis.・Mr. Morrow said. Morrow first raised concerns about the paper to MGGM Editor-in-Chief Hart in March 2021.
One retracted paper used blood samples from 120 people to study the DNA of Tibetans from Lhasa, the capital of Tibet. The article stated that “all individuals provided written informed consent” and that the study was approved by Fudan University's ethics committee.
However, the retraction notice published on Monday said that the ethics review “revealed discrepancies between the consent document and the reported study. The document was not sufficiently detailed to resolve the concerns raised. There was no.”
The study's corresponding author, Xie Jianhui, is from the Department of Forensic Medicine at Fudan University in Shanghai. Hsieh did not respond to requests for comment, but the retraction notice states that he and his co-authors did not agree to the retraction.
Several of Xie's co-authors are affiliated with Chinese public security authorities, including the Tibetan public security authorities. Tibet is considered one of the most closely monitored and closely monitored regions in China. In Human Rights Watch's latest annual report, the campaign group said authorities have “imposed severe restrictions on freedom of religion, expression, movement, and assembly.”
A separate study from the retracted study used blood samples from 340 Uighurs from Kashgar, Xinjiang, to study the genetic links between the Uyghurs and Uyghurs from other regions. Scientists said the data would become a resource for “forensic DNA and population genetics.”
All of the retracted papers were published between 2019 and 2021, and after Moreau raised concerns about the MGGM paper in 2021, eight of the journal's 25 editors resigned. Hart, the magazine's editor-in-chief, has remained in his post. Mr. Hart and MGGM did not respond to requests for comment.
Some consider MGGM to be a mid-tier genetics publication. His impact factor is 2.473, which puts him in the top 40% of journals. David Curtis, a professor of genetics at University College London, said the forum was considered a relatively publication-friendly forum and was attractive to Chinese researchers looking to publish in English-language journals. He said it might be possible. Mr. Curtis has resigned from his position as editor-in-chief of another Wiley journal, Human Genetics. This comes after the publisher vetoed calls to consider a boycott of Chinese science, citing ethical concerns, including issues related to DNA collection.
MGGM says its scope is human, molecular, and medical genetics. He primarily publishes research on the medical applications of genetics, including a recent paper on genetic disorders related to hearing loss. Moreau said the sudden shift in publishing forensic genetics research from China comes as other forensic genetics journals have become more strict about publishing research based on DNA samples from China's vulnerable ethnic minorities. This is because they have started to be exposed to surveillance. He argues that this may have biased more controversial research toward mid-tier journals such as MGGM, which don't specialize in forensic genetics.
MGGM says on its information page that it “does not consider studies involving forensic genetic analysis.” This warning was added in 2023 following editorial review of the journal's purpose.
In recent years, there has been increased scrutiny of research using the DNA and other biometric data of individuals in China, especially vulnerable populations. In 2023, Dutch academic publisher Elsevier retracted a paper based on blood and saliva samples of Uyghurs and Kazakhs living in northwest China's Xinjiang region, where human rights abuses have also been widely reported.
Wiley's retraction came days before the Chinese government's deadline for universities to submit a list of all academic papers that have been retracted in the past three years. About 14,000 retraction notices were issued last year, and three-quarters of them involved Chinese co-authors, according to a Nature analysis.
A Wiley spokesperson said: “We continue to learn from this incident and collaboration with international colleagues will be valuable in developing policy.
“Research involving multiple papers, stakeholders, and institutions requires significant effort and often requires time to coordinate and analyze information across all parties involved, as well as translate material. We understand that this can take some time, but we always aim to act as quickly as possible.”
In recent years, China has surpassed the EU and the US in terms of total research output, and its research influence is catching up with that of the US.
