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von Kortzfleisch VT, Richter SH. Systematic heterogenization revisited: Increasing variation in animal experiments to improve reproducibility? J Neurosci Methods 2024; 401:109992. [PMID: 37884081 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2023.109992] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2023] [Revised: 10/10/2023] [Accepted: 10/22/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023]
Abstract
Life sciences are currently facing a reproducibility crisis. Originally, the crisis was born out of single alarming failures to reproduce findings at different times and locations. Nowadays, systematic studies indicate that the prevalence of irreproducible research does in fact exceed 50%. Viewed from a rather cynical perspective, Fett's law of the lab "Never replicate a successful experiment" has thus taken on a completely new meaning. In this respect, animal research has come under particular scrutiny, as the stakes are high in terms of both research ethics and societal impact. To counteract this, it is essential to identify sources of poor reproducibility as well as to iron out these failures. We here review the current debate, briefly discuss potential reasons, and summarize steps that have already been undertaken to improve reproducibility in animal research. By the example of classical behavioural phenotyping studies, we particularly highlight the role strict standardization plays in exacerbating the crisis, and review the concept of systematic heterogenization as an alternative strategy to deal with variation in animal studies. Briefly, we argue that systematic variation rather than strict homogenization of experimental conditions benefits the robustness of research findings, and hence their reproducibility. To this end, we will present concrete examples for systematically heterogenized experiments and provide a practical guide on how to apply systematic heterogenization in experimental practice.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - S Helene Richter
- Department of Behavioural Biology, University of Münster, Badestraße 13, 48149 Münster, Germany.
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Calnan M, Kirchin S, Roberts DL, Wass MN, Michaelis M. Understanding and tackling the reproducibility crisis - Why we need to study scientists' trust in data. Pharmacol Res 2024; 199:107043. [PMID: 38128855 DOI: 10.1016/j.phrs.2023.107043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2023] [Revised: 12/12/2023] [Accepted: 12/18/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
In the life sciences, there is an ongoing discussion about a perceived 'reproducibility crisis'. However, it remains unclear to which extent the perceived lack of reproducibility is the consequence of issues that can be tackled and to which extent it may be the consequence of unrealistic expectations of the technical level of reproducibility. Large-scale, multi-institutional experimental replication studies are very cost- and time-intensive. This Perspective suggests an alternative, complementary approach: meta-research using sociological and philosophical methodologies to examine researcher trust in data. An improved understanding of the criteria used by researchers to judge data reliability will provide crucial, initial evidence on the actual scale of the reproducibility crisis and on measures to tackle it.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Calnan
- School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
| | - Simon Kirchin
- Department of Philosophy, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
| | - David L Roberts
- Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
| | - Mark N Wass
- School of Biosciences, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
| | - Martin Michaelis
- School of Biosciences, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK; Dr Petra Joh Research Institute, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
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3
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Guo H, Gupta R, Sharma D, Zhanov E, Malone C, Jada R, Liu Y, Garg M, Singamaneni S, Zhao F, Tian L. Ultrasensitive, Multiplexed Buoyant Sensor for Monitoring Cytokines in Biofluids. NANO LETTERS 2023; 23:10171-10178. [PMID: 37922456 PMCID: PMC10863391 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.3c02516] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2023] [Revised: 10/27/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 11/05/2023]
Abstract
Multiplexed quantification of low-abundance protein biomarkers in complex biofluids is important for biomedical research and clinical diagnostics. However, in situ sampling without perturbing biological systems remains challenging. In this work, we report a buoyant biosensor that enables in situ monitoring of protein analytes at attomolar concentrations with a 15 min temporal resolution. The buoyant biosensor implemented with fluorescent nanolabels enabled the ultrasensitive and multiplexed detection and quantification of cytokines. Implementing the biosensor in a digital manner (i.e., counting the individual nanolabels) further improves the low detection limit. We demonstrate that the biosensor enables the detection and quantification of the time-varying concentrations of cytokines (e.g., IL-6 and TNF-α) in macrophage culture media without perturbing the live cells. The easy-to-apply biosensor with attomolar sensitivity and multiplexing capability can enable an in situ analysis of protein biomarkers in various biofluids and tissues to aid in understanding biological processes and diagnosing and treating diverse diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heng Guo
- Department
of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M
University, College
Station, Texas 77843, United States
| | - Rohit Gupta
- Department
of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, Institute of Materials
Science and Engineering, Washington University
in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri 63130, United States
| | - Dhavan Sharma
- Department
of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M
University, College
Station, Texas 77843, United States
| | - Elizabeth Zhanov
- Department
of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M
University, College
Station, Texas 77843, United States
| | - Connor Malone
- Department
of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M
University, College
Station, Texas 77843, United States
| | - Ravi Jada
- Department
of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M
University, College
Station, Texas 77843, United States
| | - Ying Liu
- Department
of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M
University, College
Station, Texas 77843, United States
| | - Mayank Garg
- Department
of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M
University, College
Station, Texas 77843, United States
| | - Srikanth Singamaneni
- Department
of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, Institute of Materials
Science and Engineering, Washington University
in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri 63130, United States
| | - Feng Zhao
- Department
of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M
University, College
Station, Texas 77843, United States
| | - Limei Tian
- Department
of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M
University, College
Station, Texas 77843, United States
- Center
for Remote Health Technologies and Systems, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, United States
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