AI image integrity tool now detects western band splicing

To help editors and institutions proactively check the integrity of scientific images before publication, founders of AI-enabled scientific image checking tool, Proofig AI, have released a new system upgrade. The new feature can identify potential instances of splicing in western band images and provide users with tools to investigate potential forms of image alteration.

As part of the new upgrade, Proofig AI software now scans a manuscript and its subimages, flagging potential instances of image duplications and of splicing in western blots, a prevalent form of image alteration.

After receiving the results, the reviewer can then investigate flagged images more thoroughly using the software’s enhanced visualisation tools, applying filters to emphasise details that may indicate alteration (Figure 1). The user can then determine how to proceed, seeking clarification from the researcher if necessary.

“AI software is not designed to be the judge of whether an image issue is deliberate or not,” explained Dr. Dror Kolodkin-Gal, co-founder of Proofig AI. “It’s there to highlight the suspected images that need attention, so a reviewer can focus their time on proactively maintaining image integrity.

“We’ve already seen how automating image integrity checks to find instances of duplication has helped editors and institutions save time, reduce the risk of human error and maintain the highest standards of integrity, and we expect this new upgrade will provide further support,” continued Dr Kolodkin-Gal.

“Papers often contain hundreds of subimages, and many are difficult to differentiate — especially western blots — so thoroughly checking images manually can be time-consuming and inaccurate. Using AI to focus on potential alterations that are difficult to detect by eye therefore offers significant improvement both in time and accuracy.”

The main reason for creating Proofig AI was to provide the scientific research community with a tool to proactively check image integrity before publication, reducing the risk of costly investigations and retractions, a growing issue in scientific research. According to research by image integrity analyst Jana Christopher: “among the various journals where [she had] screened accepted manuscripts pre-publication, the percentage of manuscripts flagged up for image-related problems ranges from 20 to 35 per cent.”

Until now, Proofig AI software predominantly checked the images in a manuscript for several kinds of duplications, including full duplication, partial duplication, rotation, flipping, cloning, scaling and more. Now, Proofig AI harnesses AI-powered splice detection for Western blot integrity checks.

This update is the latest in a series of planned developments to the software.

Proofig AI is used by a growing number of publishers, universities and researchers. Why not join them? Sign up now to use the AI software at www.proofig.com.