Int’l science journal retracts anti-GMO paper

MANILA, Philippines - An international publication recently retracted an article written by a French anti-biotechnology professor who alleged that the presence of long-term toxicity in genetically-modified corn varieties caused tumors among laboratory mice.

The said retracted  material was extensively quoted in a Court of Appeals (CA) decision denying a motion for reconsideration filed by Filipino scientists.

The Filipino scientists, who were stopped by the CA from continuing field trials for the genetically modified eggplant variety Bt Talong, are entangled in a legal battle with European activist group Greenpeace which sought the court order.

In a press statement released to international media, the journal “Food and Chemical Toxicity” (FCT) said the findings alleged by anti-biotechnology activist Gilles Eric Seralini was “inconclusive”.

 â€œThis retraction comes after a thorough and time-consuming analysis of the published article and the data it reports, along with an investigation into the peer-review behind the article,” the FCT editor-in-chief said. 

In retracting the article, the FCT effectively disavowed the allegations contained in the Seralini paper. The publication said that after the Seralini article appeared in the journal, it received numerous letters from the international scientific community questioning the validity of the findings and the number of animals used in the study.

The FCT said some of the letters from the community alleged that there had been fraud in the Seralini research. In view of the allegations, the publication said it reviewed the raw data provided by Seralini in his paper. According to the FCT, “a more in-depth look at the raw data revealed that no definitive conclusions can be reached.”

 â€œUltimately, the results presented are inconclusive, and therefore do not reach the threshold of publication for Food and Chemical Toxicology,” the FCT said.

The FCT editorial board also warned that it “will continue to use this case as a reminder to be as diligent as possible in the peer review process”. The Seralini article was published in the FCT in November last year.

According to the FCT statement, the paper was published “after being objectively and anonymously peer reviewed with a series of revisions made by the author and the corrected paper then accepted by the editor.”

The FCT pointed out, however, that the “post-publication members of the scientific community have challenged the paper, citing serious concerns about the study design, data presentation and related issues.”