GoKawiil[ TL;DR: As of 3 June 2026, we have identified more than 450 images bearing signs of manipulation in verification data advertised by Thermo Fisher Scientific in its online primary antibodies catalog (+1 by Abcam). See the full repository of problematic images, curated by myself and Sholto David, here:
Zenodo – Problematic images in vendor antibody verification data
You are welcome to contribute new findings at this Google form.
This blog post was original posted on 28 May 2026 and has not been edited to update counts since that date. ]
A week and a half ago, while looking for trustworthy data demonstrating a cell line’s deficiency in the protein p53, Sholto David came across the following image of a Western blot in Thermo Fisher Scientific’s online antibodies catalog:
A Western blot presented as “Advanced Verification” data for an anti-p53 monoclonal antibody.
This image is supposed to demonstrate that the antibody being sold works as intended. It is labeled as “Advanced Verification” data on Thermo Fisher’s site and its caption implies that the data was produced internally (other images in the catalog that have not been produced internally are labeled under “Published Figures”).
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