In the wake of the published paper, Arichi's colleagues tried to repeat the experiment but couldn't get the vaccinia virus to grow in the mice, said Berzofsky. Presumably Arichi returned to Japan, but this could not be confirmed. Arichi worked at NIH from December 1995 through May 1999, said a spokeswoman for the National Cancer Institute. A spokesman for the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences said this was the first retraction of a paper this year. Last year there were four retractions, and there were two in 1999, said the spokesman.
Retractions can stem from honest mistakes in experiments as well as data fabrication.
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