Stanford
Best Practices in Science

Marc Tessier-Lavigne

Marc Tessier Lavigne

Marc Tessier-Lavigne is a renowned neuroscientist known for his work on brain development and neurodegenerative diseases. Before becoming Stanford University’s president in 2016, he served as the chief scientific officer at Genentech and held leadership positions at Rockefeller University. His research contributed significantly to understanding neural pathways and potential treatments for disorders like Alzheimer’s. However, his tenure at Stanford abruptly ended in 2023 following allegations of scientific misconduct that led to an extensive investigation and his resignation.¹

The first public revelation about potential scientific misconduct surfaced on November 29, 2022, when The Stanford Daily published an article titled “Stanford President’s Research Under Investigation for Scientific Misconduct, University Admits Mistakes.” The article detailed allegations of manipulated images and data discrepancies in multiple scientific papers co-authored by Tessier-Lavigne.¹

The newspaper cited expert analyses and whistleblower accounts that raised concerns about image duplications and altered figures in studies published in prestigious journals like Nature and Science. Forensic image analysts, including scientific integrity expert Elisabeth Bik, identified irregularities in published figures. Some of the most concerning instances included duplicated Western blots, where figures in multiple papers contained identical bands that were reused or slightly altered to fit different experimental conditions. There was also evidence of erroneous image splicing, suggesting that certain blot images were merged from different experiments to create misleading conclusions.

The manipulated images included duplicated Western blots and microscopy images that showed unnatural repeating patterns, as seen in figures from a 2008 EMBO Journal study co-authored by Tessier-Lavigne. Below are two images from this study that forensic analysts flagged for potential data manipulation.

This first image (shown to the left) presents Western blot analyses investigating the phosphorylation of focal adhesion kinase (FAK) in different experimental conditions. Upon close examination, several Western blot bands appear duplicated across different lanes, raising concerns about potential data manipulation. Specifically, the blot patterns in the FAK_p397 and FAK panels show striking similarities between different conditions, suggesting that identical images may have been reused or slightly altered to present different experimental outcomes. Additionally, the bands in the perk1/2 panel display irregularities that imply digital modifications.1

Figure 3B and 3G (Second Image): There is Further evidence of image duplication shown in this second image (shown to the right) and splicing is evident in these panels. The highlighted sections (boxed in pink and green) within the erk1/2 panel indicate areas where identical bands have been reused across different experimental conditions. This suggests an intentional effort to fabricate or misrepresent experimental results. Such manipulation can mislead readers about the reliability of the data and the conclusions drawn from the study.1

 

Additionally, manipulated microscopy images displayed unnatural repeating patterns, indicating digital alterations rather than raw experimental results. These issues raised concerns about research integrity and led Stanford’s Board of Trustees to launch a formal investigation into Tessier-Lavigne’s research.2

In February 2023, The Stanford Daily published another article on a 2011 Alzheimer’s study led by Tessier-Lavigne while he was at Genentech.³ The study, which was meant to uncover a new mechanism behind neurodegeneration in Alzheimer’s patients, had originally been celebrated as a breakthrough. However, internal reviews at Genentech reportedly flagged serious concerns about data falsification.3

Four former high-level Genentech employees, including a member of the company’s Research Review Committee, stated that an internal review found that key experiments in the study were flawed and potentially manipulated. Multiple independent scientists within Genentech have tried and failed to replicate the results. The concerns were severe enough that a correction or retraction of the findings should have been issued. Despite these warnings, the research was published in Nature without necessary corrections, misleading the scientific community about the reliability of its conclusions. Tessier-Lavigne denied any deliberate misconduct and maintained that any errors were unintentional. However, critics pointed out that he failed to take corrective action even after being informed about the inconsistencies.3

Between March and June 2023, the Stanford Board of Trustees engaged an independent scientific panel to investigate the allegations.4,5 The panel examined the integrity of Tessier-Lavigne’s research and whether he had knowingly allowed malpractice to occur under his supervision. 2

The final report, released on July 17, 2023, found that multiple papers co-authored by Tessier-Lavigne contained manipulated images, but there was no direct evidence that he personally doctored the figures. The issues stemmed from a failure in oversight within his research group. Many of the altered images, such as those in the EMBO Journal paper, were deemed unacceptable under standard scientific practices, further reinforcing concerns about oversight and accountability. The presence of duplicated and spliced Western blot bands, along with manipulated microscopy images, raised serious questions about the reliability of the research findings and the credibility of the published conclusions. In some instances, when errors were identified, no appropriate corrections or retractions were made, which allowed faulty conclusions to persist in the scientific literature. The Alzheimer’s study at Genentech contained serious flaws, and concerns about its validity had been suppressed rather than addressed transparently.

On July 19, 2023, Tessier-Lavigne announced his resignation as Stanford’s president.9 In his resignation statement, he maintained that he had not engaged in deliberate misconduct but acknowledged that errors had occurred in his publications. The Stanford Board of Trustees issued a formal statement outlining measures to improve research integrity at the university and strengthen policies to prevent similar issues in the future.6

Despite stepping down as president, Tessier-Lavigne remains a faculty member at Stanford University, continuing his research in neuroscience. However, his case underscores critical issues within the scientific community, including the importance of research integrity and rigorous peer review processes, the responsibility of senior scientists to ensure ethical conduct in their labs, and the challenges of institutional accountability, particularly when allegations involve high-ranking officials.

 

  1. Stanford president’s research under investigation for scientific misconduct, university admits mistakes (The Stanford Daily, November 29, 2022)
  2. Latest updates: Stanford president under investigation for research misconduct (The Stanford Daily, August 31, 2023)
  3. Internal review found falsified data in Stanford president’s Alzheimer’s research, colleagues allege (The Stanford Daily, February 17, 2023)
  4. Stanford is investigating its own president over research misconduct allegations (The Chronicle of Higher Education, November 29, 2022)
  5. Stanford president resigns over research misconduct allegations (The New York Times, July 19, 2023)
  6. Board of Trustees Statement – Release of Report and Announcements (Stanford Board of Trustees, July 19, 2023)
  7. Scientific panel final report (Stanford Board of Trustees, July 17, 2023)
  8. False allegations in the Stanford Daily (Tessier-Lavigne Lab, February 17, 2023)
  9. Message to the Stanford community (Tessier-Lavigne Lab, July 19, 2023)