Abstract 5053: Preliminary results from the Reproducibility Project: Cancer Biology - a replication of 50 high-impact cancer cell biology papers from 2010-2012

The lack of reproducibility of preclinical research is a significant and growing problem which slows basic research and leads to fruitless clinical trials. An increasing number of reports have found discrepancies in published preclinical studies across scientific disciplines. For example: * Amgen found that 47 of 53 “landmark” oncology publications could not be reproduced. * Bayer found that their internal results contradicted academic publications in 43 of 67 oncology and cardiovascular projects. * Dr. John Ioannidis and his colleagues found that of 432 publications purporting sex differences in hypertension, multiple sclerosis, or lung cancer, only one data set was reproducible. These studies, and the many others that report similar results, highlight a significant problem in the development of new therapies to treat disease. With increasing reports of discrepancies in preclinical publications, pharmaceutical companies are being forced to re-evaluate their reliance on academic research. In fact, Bayer recently decided to halt nearly two-thirds of target-validation projects.In this session, we'll report the work we have done to address this issue. We will bring together researchers and representatives from funders and publishers to discuss the issue of reproducibility. We will share funder and publisher initiatives to promote reproducibility and also discuss research practices that lead to more reproducible research such as using proper statistical tests, reporting all experimental data, experimental blinding, and identification and validation of research reagents. We'll also share preliminary results from an Arnold Foundation-funded study to replicate the 50 most high impact cancer biology studies from 2010-1012. Reproducibility ResearchAmgen47 of 53 “landmark” oncology publications could not be reproducedBayerinternal results contradicted academic publications in 43 of 67 oncology and cardiovascular projectsDr. John Ioannidis and colleagues432 publications purporting sex differences in hypertension, multiple sclerosis, or lung cancer, only one data set was reproducible Note: This abstract was not presented at the meeting. Citation Format: Gunn William, Elizabeth Iorns, Elizabeth Silva, Brian Nosek. Preliminary results from the Reproducibility Project: Cancer Biology - a replication of 50 high-impact cancer cell biology papers from 2010-2012. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 5053. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-5053