The PLOS One Editors published an Editorial Note concerning the article “NOXA‑induced alterations in the Bax/Smac axis enhance sensitivity of ovarian cancer cells to cisplatin.” The note appears in PLOS One and was published on July 28, 2026 (DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0354761). Editorial Notes in PLOS are intended to provide readers with information that may be relevant to interpreting a published article.
The text of the note states that the Editors have concerns specifically related to the peer review process for the referenced article. Because of those concerns, the Editors advise readers to approach the original article with careful consideration.
The Editorial Note is concise and focuses on the existence of concerns about the peer review process for the researched work. It does not elaborate on the nature of the concerns, the evidence underlying them, or any procedural findings. The note therefore serves as an alert to readers that questions exist about the integrity of the peer review that led to publication, without providing further factual detail about investigations, timelines, or outcomes.
Where the Editorial Note explains the role of such notices, it reiterates that Editorial Notes are published by PLOS to provide information relevant to an article’s interpretation. Beyond that statement and the recommendation for cautious interpretation, no additional corrective actions, retractions, or expressions of concern are reported in this note.
The Editorial Note lists two bibliographic references. The primary reference is the original research article by Lin et al., titled “NOXA‑induced alterations in the Bax/Smac axis enhance sensitivity of ovarian cancer cells to cisplatin,” published in PLoS One in 2012 (volume 7, issue 5, article e36722). The second reference is a 2012 correction linked to that original article. Both the original article and the correction are cited in the Editorial Note’s references section.
The Editorial Note does not summarize experimental data, results, or conclusions from the 2012 article beyond the article’s title. It does not supply details about the correction’s content or scope; readers must consult the cited items directly to review the experimental findings and any amended material.
The Editorial Note provides full citation information: The PLOS One Editors (2026) Editorial Note: NOXA‑Induced Alterations in the Bax/Smac Axis Enhance Sensitivity of Ovarian Cancer Cells to Cisplatin. PLoS One 21(7): e0354761. The note indicates its DOI (10.1371/journal.pone.0354761) and confirms open access distribution under the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits reuse provided the original author and source are credited.
The page includes links to the original article, metrics, comments, and media coverage, as well as the two references cited in the note. Additional page elements such as CrossMark are present on the PLOS page, but the Editorial Note itself does not report investigation reports, peer review files, or editorial correspondence.
The Editors explicitly encourage readers to interpret the referenced 2012 study with caution in light of the stated concerns about the peer review process. This advisory is limited in scope: the note functions as a flag rather than a detailed account of specific problems.
Importantly, the Editorial Note does not report the specific allegations, the findings of any inquiry, whether authors were contacted, or what, if any, remedial steps will follow. Those details were not provided in the source and therefore are not available here. To fully assess the research claims (for example, the role of NOXA, the Bax/Smac axis, and cisplatin sensitivity in ovarian cancer cells) readers should consult the original 2012 article and its linked correction, and consider independent replication or subsequent literature.
This Editorial Note is an instrument to inform readers about potential interpretive issues; it does not itself adjudicate the scientific validity of the underlying experiments. For clinical or research decisions, users should rely on a broader evidence base and, where necessary, seek corroborating studies and updated editorial statements from the journal.