Summary
Nature Medicine has issued an expression of concern over image irregularities in a 2014 study of gastrointestinal organoids. The editors advise caution about specified images while saying the study’s main conclusions appear supported by its other data.
Nature Medicine published an Editorial Expression of Concern on 21 October 2026 about image irregularities in a 2014 technical report on oncogenic transformation in gastrointestinal organoid cultures. The editors identified apparent overlap or reuse among several images and advised readers to interpret those data with caution. They said the article’s main conclusions appear to remain supported by its other data.
Which images are covered by the notice
The notice identifies three sets of panels. It says the PCNA image in Fig. 3a labelled “+tamoxifen” appears to overlap with the “Vehicle” PCNA image in Fig. 4a of the cited reference. It also says images labelled “Apc +tamoxifen” in Figs. 3a and 3b appear to originate from the same sample as the “Vehicle CD44” image in Supplementary Fig. S5 of that reference.
A third set involves PCNA images: the Fig. 3b image labelled “-tamoxifen (7d)” and the Fig. 3c image labelled “(105d)” appear to originate from the same sample as the “Vehicle PCNA” image in Fig. 3d of the reference. The journal’s notice describes these as image concerns; it does not characterize them as proof of misconduct.
What the notice means for interpreting the study
Organoids are lab-grown structures used to model aspects of tissue. Images showing experimental conditions can help readers assess how cells or tissues responded. Apparent overlap or reuse therefore warrants caution when interpreting the specific panels identified by the editors.
The notice applies that caution to the listed images, while stating that the study’s main conclusions appear supported by its remaining data. It records that 14 authors agreed with the expression of concern; seven others did not respond to the publisher’s correspondence.