After being subjected to months of intense scrutiny, Marc Tessier-Lavigne has announced his resignation as president of Stanford University. An independent review of his research found significant flaws in studies he supervised, dating back several decades. The claims made against Tessier-Lavigne’s work were refuted by an outside panel of scientists, which concluded that there was no evidence of falsified data or fraud. However, the review did highlight “multiple problems” in a 2009 Alzheimer’s study conducted while he was at Genentech. As a result of the review, Tessier-Lavigne plans to retract several papers and make comprehensive corrections to others.
Although the accusations relate to work published before Tessier-Lavigne’s tenure at Stanford, they have still tarnished the university’s reputation. In his resignation statement, Tessier-Lavigne acknowledged the ongoing discussion about the review’s conclusions and expressed concerns about his ability to lead the university further. He will step down from the presidency but will continue to work at Stanford as a professor.
Richard Saller, a professor of European studies, has been appointed as interim president starting from September 1. During his tenure, Tessier-Lavigne established the Doerr School of Sustainability, which focuses on finding solutions to climate change.
The panel’s report, based on extensive interviews and document reviews, found that there were flaws in five papers authored or co-authored by Tessier-Lavigne. It revealed inappropriate manipulation of research data and deficiencies in scientific practices. The panel also questioned Tessier-Lavigne’s failure to correct mistakes and his decision not to seek a correction in the 2009 study despite subsequent studies disproving its key finding.
The accusations against Tessier-Lavigne first emerged on PubPeer, an online platform for peer review and discussion of scientific work. They gained traction when The Stanford Daily published articles raising concerns about the accuracy and integrity of research conducted in Tessier-Lavigne’s labs. The newspaper claimed that the 2009 study contained falsified data and that Tessier-Lavigne attempted to conceal this information, but the panel found no evidence to support these claims.
Stanford formed a special committee to investigate the allegations. The committee, led by Stanford trustee and former federal prosecutor Carol Lam, engaged the law firm Kirkland & Ellis and former federal judge Mark Filip to conduct the review. The review was later expanded to include a scientific examination of the claims, with a panel of experts appointed.
The 2009 study, which focused on the role of a brain protein in Alzheimer’s disease, was hailed as a breakthrough by Genentech, where Tessier-Lavigne worked at the time. However, subsequent attempts to replicate the results proved unsuccessful, leading Genentech to abandon the research. Tessier-Lavigne acknowledged the failure to confirm key aspects of the study in subsequent work.
In his statement, Tessier-Lavigne revealed that he had previously attempted to issue corrections to the papers in question but was met with resistance. The Cell journal declined to publish a correction, and Science failed to do so despite agreeing to it.
The panel’s findings support Genentech’s internal review, which concluded that there was no evidence of fraud or intentional wrongdoing in Tessier-Lavigne’s research. However, the review did identify instances of duplicated or spliced images in the papers, although Tessier-Lavigne was found not to be responsible for these manipulations.
As Stanford looks to move forward from this controversy, it faces the task of restoring its reputation as a leading institution for scientific research. Tessier-Lavigne’s resignation is seen as a necessary step towards rebuilding trust and maintaining the university’s integrity.
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