Annarosa Leri

Annarosa Leri is a medical doctor and former associate professor at Harvard University. Along with former professor Piero Anversa, Leri was engaged in biomedical research at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School.[1] Since at least 2003 Anversa and Leri had investigated the ability of the heart to regenerate damaged cells using cardiac stem cells.[2]

Annarosa Leri
Born	Reggio Emilia, Italy
Nationality	Italy
Alma mater	University of Parma Liceo Scientifico, Castelnovo ne' Monti
Scientific career
Fields	Dermatology Molecular Biology Anesthesiology
Institutions	University of Parma New York Medical College Harvard Medical School Brigham & Women's Hospital

A paper published in The Lancet in 2011 and another paper published in Circulation in 2012 were acknowledged by Anversa and Leri to have “fictitious data points” and “altered figures.” The 2012 paper was retracted, and the 2011 paper received an expression of concern.[3]

In the spring of 2014 Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital launched an investigation into the conduct of the two researchers. In what was considered an unusual step[1] the pair filed a lawsuit against the hospital and medical school on December 16, 2014, claiming the investigation had damaged their reputations and careers.[4] Anversa and Leri later admitted to fabricating data and altering published figures,[5][6] and their lawsuit against Harvard was dismissed.[7]

In 2018, Anversa and Leri were approved to begin work on "stem-based therapies for cardiovascular disease" at Italy's Istituto Superiore di Sanità (ISS);[8] as of 2020, Leri is not listed as a staff member at ISS.[9] Also in 2018, Harvard University and Brigham and Women's Hospital called for an additional 31 papers by Anversa and Leri to be retracted after many failed attempts to replicate their work.[10]

As of 2021 Leri has had 19 of her published papers retracted, another 17 papers have received an expression of concern, and another 12 papers have been corrected.[11] Several of the retracted papers had been published in Circulation Research[12][13][14] which, until he was dismissed for making homophobic comments[15] was edited by Leri's collaborator Roberto Bolli, a "Distinguished University Scholar" and Professor of Medicine at the University of Louisville[16] and an author of at least three retracted publications,[17] including the initial report of SCIPIO clinical trial results.[18]

See also

• List of scientific misconduct incidents

References

1. Servick K (January 2015). "Scientific community. Targets of misconduct probe launch a legal counterattack". Science. 347 (6217): 13. doi:10.1126/science.347.6217.13. PMID 25554768.
2. Gosline A (29 May 2006). "Heart may be home to its own stem cells". New Scientist. Retrieved 7 May 2015.
3. Adams D, Austin J, Bernstein R (2 January 2015). "Elsewhere in Science, 2 January 2015". Science Careers. Retrieved 7 May 2015.
4. Fu MY (27 December 2014). "Researchers Sue Brigham, Med School for Alleged Misconduct Investigation". The Harvard Crimson. Retrieved 7 May 2015.
5. "Brigham and Women's Hospital to Pay $10 Million for Research Fraud Allegations | News | the Harvard Crimson".
6. Servick, Kelly. "$10 million settlement over alleged misconduct in Boston heart stem cell lab". ScienceMag.org. American Association for the Advancement of Science. Retrieved 2021-01-07.
7. "Judge dismisses cardiac stem cell researchers' lawsuit against Harvard". Retraction Watch. 2015-07-29. Retrieved 2018-03-19.
8. "Stem cell researchers investigated for misconduct recommended for roles at Italy's NIH". Retraction Watch. 2018-03-14. Retrieved 2018-03-14.
9. "Istituto Superiore di Sanità - ISS staff". Istituto Superiore di Sanità. Istituto Superiore di Sanità. Retrieved 2020-10-20.
10. "Harvard Calls for Retraction of Dozens of Studies by Noted Cardiologist". Retrieved 2018-10-16.
11. "Retraction Watch Database - Annarosa Leri". Retraction Watch. Center for Scientific Integrity. Retrieved 2021-01-07.
12. "Retraction of: Myocyte Turnover in the Aging Human Heart". Circulation Research. 124 (4): e23. February 2019. doi:10.1161/RES.0000000000000247. PMID 30582470.
13. "Retraction of: Activation of Cardiac Progenitor Cells Reverses the Failing Heart Senescent Phenotype and Prolongs Lifespan". Circulation Research. 124 (4): e20. February 2019. doi:10.1161/RES.0000000000000244. PMID 30582469.
14. "Retraction of: Tracking Chromatid Segregation to Identify Human Cardiac Stem Cells That Regenerate Extensively the Infarcted Myocardium". Circulation Research. 124 (4): e29. February 2019. doi:10.1161/RES.0000000000000253. PMC 6375757. PMID 30582468.
15. "Circulation Research Fires Editor over Homophobic Email". The Scientist Magazine®. Retrieved 2019-05-23.
16. "Roberto Bolli, M.D., FAHA, FACC". University of Louiseville School of Medicine. University of Louisville. Retrieved 2021-01-07.
17. "Retraction Watch Database". Retraction Watch. Center for Scientific Integrity. Retrieved 2021-01-07.
18. The Lancet Editors (March 2019). "Retraction-Cardiac stem cells in patients with ischaemic cardiomyopathy (SCIPIO): initial results of a randomised phase 1 trial". Lancet. 393 (10176): 1084. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(19)30542-2. PMC 6497141. PMID 30894259.