TAMPA — The executive who oversees much of Moffitt Cancer Center’s scientific research has resigned from her leadership role after science journals retracted or flagged concerns over the integrity of images used in several studies she co-authored.
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Elsa R. Flores has stepped down from her roles as division chief and associate center director of basic science at the cancer center, according to an email sent to senior staffers at Moffitt last week. It said that her decision was made for personal reasons and that she would remain a senior member of the Department of Molecular Oncology and focus on her research program.
But her demotion comes after Flores’ former employer, UT MD Anderson, a cancer center at the University of Texas, recently completed a retrospective review of a number of studies she co-authored. Several papers had been questioned by scientists and others in online forums. Among their concerns were that images used to demonstrate findings appeared to have been manipulated.
Moffitt officials declined to answer questions about Flores but emailed the following statement to the Tampa Bay Times:
“Moffitt Cancer Center is committed to maintaining the highest levels of integrity in scientific research. All research at Moffitt is conducted in accordance with well-established standards supported by robust oversight, infrastructure and regulatory compliance.”
Flores could not be reached by telephone. She did not respond to two emails requesting comment.
Flores, who joined Moffitt in 2016, was promoted to her leadership role in January 2022. Her position as the center’s Basic Science Division meant she oversaw the cancer physiology, drug discovery, immunology, molecular oncology and tumor biology departments. She also played a pivotal role in applying for Moffitt’s annual Cancer Center Support Grant as part of its top tier designation by the National Cancer Institute.
MD Anderson, where Flores worked as a professor for about 11 years, has yet to release any information regarding its review of her work. Officials there declined to answer questions about why they undertook the review, how it was conducted and its findings.
“UT MD Anderson follows institutional processes for research reviews, and we do not comment on related matters,” they said in an email.
At least five studies that Flores co-authored have been either retracted, corrected or flagged by science journals that published them with an “editorial expression of concern.” The formal notice is intended inform the scientific community that a published paper may contain serious, unresolved errors or misleading data.
In four instances, the concerns related to images used to illustrate findings, with commenters on PubPeer, a widely used online platform that allows researchers to discuss scientific papers, highlighting examples where sections of images appeared to have been duplicated from elsewhere in the study.
One study published in Public Library of Science Genetics, was retracted because the data was “more similar than would be expected from experiments representing different conditions.” It also noted part of an image was flipped horizontally and other “discontinuities” suggestive that images had been spliced together.
“In light of the concerns affecting multiple figure panels that question the integrity of these data, the PLOS Genetics Editors retract this article.“
Flores defended her work in a response she posted on PubPeer, saying that the image was not flipped as suggested.
Another Flores study called into question is a 2017 paper published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation that linked an RNA molecule called “Lnc-BM” to the spread of breast cancer cells to the brain. The journal in October flagged the research online with an expression of concern.
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“The Editors have requested an institutional investigation into this matter, and we will inform our readers of the outcome when the investigation is complete,” it said.
Elizabeth Bik, an independent scientist and a former Stanford medical researcher who investigates and blogs full time about scientific integrity and research misconduct, posted on PubPeer questioning images in two different studies that Flores co-authored.
“It’s not just one time, ‘oospies, we made an error,’” Bik said in a telephone interview with the Tampa Bay Times. “It’s a pattern that is of concern.”
She also took to PubPeer to question a 2010 study published in Nature that included a photograph of a test mouse with a large tumor on its body.
“The tumor of this mouse looks very big, and it appears the skin is black and burst open. The mouse also looks skinny and in pain,” she wrote. “Were these experiments done according to appropriate animal ethics guidelines?”
Flores responded online to Bik’s questions stating “that researchers followed Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee protocols approved by MD Anderson.
Bik is not convinced.
“Animals should be euthanized humanely if they reach that point that tumors are so big animals are in pain,” she said in her interview with the Times.
In 2023, Nature added a note to its publication of the study: “Readers are alerted that the reliability of data presented in this manuscript is currently in question. Appropriate editorial action will be taken once this matter is resolved.”
An online correction to the article was later published by Nature.
Moffitt’s website describes Flores as an “internationally recognized cancer researcher” with specialized expertise in cancer causing proteins that are deemed “undruggable” or extremely difficult to target with medication. The Flores Lab at Moffitt also conducts research into the p53 family of genes, found in many human cancers.
Flores has proven adept at obtaining National Institute of Health grants. She was the principal investigator or project leader on dozens of research projects that received a combined $21 million since 2009, NIH data shows.
She also played a key role in Moffitt being awarded $10.2 million from the National Cancer Institute in 2021 to develop lung cancer treatments.
John Cleveland, a Moffitt executive vice president, will take over Flores’s position as associate center director. Her role as division chief will be handled by Kenneth Wright, Moffitt’s associate center director of research education and training.
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