Top Hong Kong scientist retracts articles years after publication following mistakes spotted in images
- Microbiologist says he ‘regrets’ use of images, but that research conclusions were not affected by ‘supervisory oversight’
- Scientist highlights mistakes had nothing to do with his research on Sars or Covid-19 pandemic
A top Hong Kong microbiologist has retracted seven research papers published between eight to 18 years ago after image errors were discovered, but he insisted the mistakes did not affect research conclusions and had nothing to do with his work on severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) or the Covid-19 pandemic.
Yuen Kwok-yung, 66, a chair professor of infectious diseases at the department of microbiology at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) and who discovered Sars, told the Post on Wednesday he had made a “supervisory oversight”.
He expressed regret over the use of some images for the seven journal articles involved, for which he was the team leader.
“As the last corresponding author of these research papers, I did commit a mistake which was a supervisory oversight … It’s nobody’s fault but mine,” he said.
“I regret what happened and have been doing everything possible to correct the scientific record according to the highest professional standards.”
The microbiologist on August 1 decided to ask journal editors to retract the research papers the same day he got emails from an unknown party who alerted him about the similarity of some test strip images for Western Blot, a test to show whether some animals or humans had antibodies against a certain virus, bacteria or fungi.
