BMJ Genetics retracts seven of eight papers from 2019 special issue over compromised peer review and dubious device use

BMJ’s Journal of Medical Genetics has retracted seven of eight papers from a 2019 guest-edited special issue after an investigation found the peer-review process irreparably compromised and evidence of ‘improbable device use’; the guest editor reportedly selected reviewers, most affiliated with Nanjing University, with the only non-retracted paper being a Harvard Medical School breast cancer case report. The special issue, tied to genomic aspects of cancer immunotherapy, highlights vulnerabilities in guest-edited collections and mirrors a broader pattern of compromised editor handling and peer review across journals.