In 2014, the world of science was shaken by an unprecedented fraud. So, what really happened to shatter the dreams of a Nobel Prize and became a dark chapter for stem cell research? This is the story of STAP cells.

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Let’s set the scene. It’s the early 2000s. Japan has become a powerhouse in stem cell research. Stem cells are cells that form our bodies during development. Back in the day, stem cells could only be isolated from embryos. In 2006, Yamanaka and Takahashi demonstrated how we can make stem cells from skin cells. Through the introduction of 4 genes (oct4, sox2, klf4, cmyc) they converted skin cells into pluripotent stem cells. For this discovery, Yamanaka later won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
Haruko Obokata was a japanese scientists who tried to develop another method to make stem cells. She teamed up with Charles Vacanti who theorized that stem cells can be made through stress. When Obokata bathed body cells in mild acid, she claimed to have produced stem cells. She refined this method and STAP cells were born. Later, they approached
Teruhiko Wakayama and Yoshiki Sasai. Both helped them and in 2013 "STAP Cells" were finally published. In the first weeks, STAP cells seemed like a huge success. But the scientific community soon discovered manipulations in the presented images. RIKEN, the institute where Obokata was hosted launched an internal investigation. They concluded that the STAP cell works have to be retracted and Obokata lost her position. RIKEN had to undergo reconstruction due to the lasting public outcry which ultimately affected everyone involved. Today, STAP cells are considered as one of the biggest scandals in stem cell research.

00:003:35 The Japanese Stem Cell Wonder
3:357:53 Fabricating the Discovery of the Century
7:5313:10 How Everyone Found Out
13:1015:37 The Devastating Aftermath

References:
Brilliant Article:
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/20...
Other STAP Cell Stories:
https://www.science.org/content/artic...
https://www.nature.com/articles/natur...
RIKEN Investigation: http://www3.riken.jp/stap/e/c13docume...
https://www.nature.com/articles/natur...
https://www.nature.com/articles/natur...
https://link.springer.com/article/10....
More About Stem Cells:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science...
https://link.springer.com/article/10....

Images:
Some pictures were derived from Servier Medical Art by Servier. You can find over 3000 free medical images here: https://smart.servier.com/
Videos were derived from videvo.net, mixkit.co and videezy.com
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Clock, Pedestrian Crossing, park Glow Bokeh 1 by videvo.net, CCBY 3.0
Petri Dish, Pipetting, Newspaper Headline, Covid19 Unemployment Microscope, Newspaper, Lab Bench, Coolinf Fan, businesswoman speaking, Scrolling Smartphone, Gradient Background, Newspaper Headline, Business by videvo.net, videvo.net
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About Clemens Steinek:
CLEMENS STEINEK is a PhD student/youtuber (Sciencerely) who is currently conducting stem cell research in Germany.