[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 48 (Friday, March 12, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Page 12341]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-6077]



[[Page 12341]]

=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Office of the Secretary


Findings of Scientific Misconduct

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, HHS.

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that on February 5, 1999, a Research 
Integrity Adjudications Panel of the HHS Departmental Appeals Board 
issued a ruling upholding the scientific misconduct finding of the 
Office of Research Integrity (ORI) in the following case:
    Kimon J. Angelides, Ph.D., Baylor College of Medicine: Based on the 
report of an investigation conducted by Baylor College of Medicine and 
information obtained by ORI during its oversight review, ORI found on 
March 10, 1997, that Dr. Angelides, former Professor, Department of 
Molecular Physiology and Biophysics and Department of Cell Biology, 
Baylor College of Medicine, engaged in scientific misconduct by 
intentionally falsifying data and misrepresenting research results in 
five grant applications submitted to the National Institutes of Health 
(NIH) and in five papers published while he was at the Baylor College 
of Medicine. The research involved the study of the voltage-gated 
sodium channel protein in nervous tissue and its location in myelinated 
nerves. In a decision dated February 5, 1999, the HHS Departmental 
Appeals Board affirmed ORI's findings of scientific misconduct and 
determined that the administrative actions recommended by ORI were 
justified. The following actions have been implemented:
    (1) Dr. Angelides has been debarred from eligibility for, or 
involvement in, nonprocurement transactions (e.g., grants and 
cooperative agreements) of the Federal Government and from contracting 
or subcontracting with any Federal Government agency for a period of 
five (5) years, beginning on February 22, 1999.
    (2) Dr. Angelides is prohibited from serving in any advisory 
capacity to PHS, including but not limited to service on any PHS 
advisory committee, board, and/or peer review committee, or as a 
consultant for a period of five (5) years, beginning on February 22, 
1999.
    (3) Within 30 days of February 22, 1999, Dr. Angelides is required 
to submit a letter to the editors of Proceedings of the Royal Society 
of London, Annals of the New York Academy of Science, Glia, and 
Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (USA) requesting 
retraction of the falsified figures and text in each of the following 
scientific papers:

--Black, J.A., Friedman, B., Waxman, S.G., Elmer, L.W., and Angelides, 
K.J. ``Immuno-ultrastructural localization of sodium channels at nodes 
of Ranvier and perinodal astrocytes in rat optic nerve.'' Proc. R. Soc. 
London 238:39-51, 1989.
--Minturn, J.E., Sontheimer, H., Black, J.A., Angelides, K.J., Ransom, 
B.R., Ritchie, J.M., and Waxman, S.G. ``Membrane-associated sodium 
channels and cytoplasmic precursors in glial cells.'' Ann. N.Y. Acad. 
Sci. 633:255-271, 1991.
--Black, J.A., Waxman, S.G., Friedman, B., Elmer, L.W., and Angelides, 
K.J. ``Sodium channels in astrocytes of rat optic nerve in situ: 
Immuno-electron microscopic studies.'' Glia 2:353-369, 1989.
--Ritchie, J.M., Black, J.A., Waxman, S.G., and Angelides, K.J. 
``Sodium channels in the cytoplasm of Schwann cells.'' Proc. Natl. 
Acad. Sci. (USA) 87:9290-9294, 1990.

    A retraction of the following scientific paper already has been 
published (Brain Research 761(2), 1997) at the request of the 
coauthors:
     Elmer, L.W., Black, J.A., Waxman, S.G., and Angelides, 
K.J. ``The voltage dependent sodium channel in mammalian CNS and PNS: 
Antibody characterization and immunocytochemical localization.'' Brain 
Research 532:222-231, 1990.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Acting Director, Division of Research 
Investigations, Office of Research Integrity, 5515 Security Lane, Suite 
700, Rockville, MD 20852, (301) 443-5330.
Chris B. Pascal,
Acting Director, Office of Research Integrity.
[FR Doc. 99-6077 Filed 3-11-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4160-17-U