# Report finds manipulated marketing images for more than 17,000 antibodies

_Published Tuesday, August 25, 2026 at 2:07 PM EDT · Science · Latest · Tier 2 — Notable_

![image of cells against a dark backdrop, with different parts of the cells glowing green, blue, or red. — Primary](https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-1184711342-2560x1440.jpg)

A Northwestern University postdoctoral researcher found problematic image manipulations in marketing materials for more than 17,000 commercial antibodies, Ars Technica reports. The article says the alterations ranged from background-noise removal to copied-and-pasted data that fabricated results. Antibodies are widely used in biological research to identify proteins, tissues and cellular characteristics, so performance images can influence researchers' selection of commercial reagents. The account follows an initial discovery in May involving some suppliers' experimental images.

## Sources

- [Ars Technica](https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/08/lab-supply-companies-have-been-selling-antibodies-using-manipulated-images/)

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Canonical: https://techandbusiness.org/newswire/BHnENA_VSGM2gt7wxKeb6s
Published: 2026-08-25T18:07:05.768Z
Story chronology: 2026-08-25T16:16:57.000Z
Retrieved: 2026-10-11T00:22:33.878Z
Publisher: Tech & Business (techandbusiness.org)