Journal founded by plastic surgeon touts studies of products he’s tied to – including one that has been retracted
In a February 2018 editorial, Rod Rohrich, a plastic surgeon and the former president of the World Association of Medical Editors, blasted predatory journals for “the damage that these illegitimate open access journals do to the reputation of legitimate, credible ones.” Two years later, he wrote about how his team at Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery–Global … Continue reading Journal founded by…
An article published in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery–Global Open, a journal founded by plastic surgeon Rod Rohrich, has come under scrutiny due to the retraction of a study on exosomes, which are tiny particles with potential applications in skincare and wound healing. The journal's founder has been accused of promoting preliminary and sometimes misleading research that has financial ties to him or his associates.
Paul Knoepfler, a cell biologist at the University of California, Davis, expressed concern over the hyped field of exosomes and the potential influence of Rohrich's past leadership roles at the same journal on editorial decisions and peer review. Rohrich, who now serves as the editor emeritus of the journal, has defended his work and emphasized the importance of sound scientific research.
Rohrich has been a consultant for Rion, a Mayo Clinic spinoff testing platelet exosomes for therapeutic applications, and even marketed its "plated" skin care line. In a 2022 interview, he discussed the use of exosomes in skincare at his own practice, the Dallas Plastic Surgery Institute.
However, a review paper co-authored with Atta Behfar, Rion's founder, received an award from the journal, but a recent study on exosomes published by a different research group has since been retracted. Rohrich has pushed back against the criticism, stating that he welcomes legitimate scientific criticism and remains optimistic about the potential of regenerative medicine.
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