Retraction

Following correspondence from a concerned reader regarding the March 2006 article entitled “Discoidin domain receptor 1 contributes to the survival of lung fibroblast in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis” by Matsuyama et al (volume 168, p 866), the Editors of The American Journal of Pathology commenced an inquiry into the validity of results reported. Initial communication between the editorial office and the corresponding author, Dr. Wataru Matsuyama, failed to resolve the matter. Therefore, the Editors contacted Kagoshima University Hospital (Kagoshima, Japan), with which all authors are affiliated, and requested an investigation of the work. Dr. Hideo Takamatsu, Director of Kagoshima University Hospital, and Dr. Kazumasa Sugihara, Dean of the Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Kagoshima University, in consultation with Dr. Hiroshi Oda, Dean of Faculty of Medicine, Kagoshima University, appointed an investigative committee. The committee concluded that the article in question contains falsified data. Dr. Matsuyama has since admitted to fabricating data for 5 of 7 idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis patients and to falsifying the supporting figures. He has stated that these actions were his alone and that none of the co-authors were involved in or aware of these events. The article is therefore being retracted from The American Journal of Pathology by the American Society for Investigative Pathology (the Publisher) at the request of Dr. Matsuyama and with the concurrence of all co-authors.