key: cord-329723-74bhv8cr
authors: Debes, Jose D.
title: COVID-19 and the liver: the perils of non-peer reviewed science in times of a pandemic
date: 2020-04-10
journal: Gastroenterology
DOI: 10.1053/j.gastro.2020.04.007
sha: 
doc_id: 329723
cord_uid: 74bhv8cr

nan

receptor referencing a manuscript that involves single cell RNA sequencing performed on liver cells. Such study was performed in healthy subjects only (despite a title that seems to depict otherwise) and, more importantly, the study was not peer-reviewed, but rather directly published 2 . A number of opinions and original contributions, all in highly respected journals, have made reference to that single study in order to scientifically support this hypothesis 1, 3-5 . This is concerning, as it suggests a willingness of authors to bypass stringently reviewed data in their rush to share scientific knowledge. In the case of clinical manuscripts, it is possible that the average reader will understand the quality of a study by looking at a range of familiar parameters. However, when such studies involve data related to single cell RNA sequencing, particularly in hepatocytes which has been shown to be particularly difficult to isolate and sequence, the reader is blind to the details of the study and directly susceptible to the conclusions of the authors. As we all, scientists and health care providers alike, participate selflessly in a race to mitigate the SARS-CoV2 pandemic and its implications to human health, we should become more efficient in navigating the current scientific standards, i.e. be more willing to and expedite in reviewing manuscripts, but resist the temptation to bypass these standards, as doing so will further contribute to misinformation and misguide.

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