[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 124 (Friday, June 27, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38341-38342]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-16285]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES


Office of the Secretary; Findings of Scientific Misconduct

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, HHS.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that the Office of Research Integrity 
(ORI) and the Assistant Secretary for Health have taken final action in 
the following case:
    John W. Rooney, Ph.D., Columbia University: Based on the report of 
an investigation conducted by Columbia University (CU) (CU Report), an 
admission by the respondent, and additional analysis performed by ORI 
in its oversight review, the U.S. Public Health Service (PHS) found 
that John W. Rooney, Ph.D., former postdoctoral research fellow, CU, 
engaged in scientific misconduct by falsifying research supported by 
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), National Institutes 
of Health (NIH), grant T32 HL007343, National Institute of Allergy and 
Infectious Diseases (NIAID), NIH, grant R01 AI043576, National 
Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS), NIH, grant R01 GM029361, 
and National Cancer Institute (NCI), NIH, grants P01 CA075399 and R01 
CA076496.
    Specifically, PHS found that Dr. Rooney engaged in scientific 
misconduct by:
    [sbull] Falsifying Panels A-C of Figure 1 in the following paper: 
Rooney, J.W. & Calame, K.L. ``TIF1beta functions as a coactivator for 
C/EBPbeta and is required for induced differentiation in the 
myelomonocytic cell line U937.'' Genes and Development 15:3023-3038, 
2001; the respondent falsely claimed that high levels of expression of 
the TIF1 gene were induced by dimethylsulfoxide and a phorbol ester; 
and
    [sbull] Falsifying Figure 3 in the original and Figures 6 and 7 in 
a revised version of a manuscript (Rooney, J.W., Postel, E.H., & 
Calame, K.L. ``The DNA-cleavage function of NM23-H2/Puf is essential 
for myeloid differentiation and for transcription of myeloid-specific 
genes,'' submitted to Molecular and Cellular Biology). The respondent 
falsely claimed that wild-type NM23-H2/Puf protein could cleave DNA 
promoter sequences in all five purported target genes and that the K12Q 
mutant protein could not cleave any of them. The respondent also 
falsely claimed in electrophonetic mobility shift assays that two 
authentic oligonucleotides bound to the NM23-H2/Puf protein when they 
did not do so.
    The Genes and Development paper has been retracted (Genes and 
Development 16:2170, 2002), and CU has indicated that the Molecular and 
Cellular Biology manuscript will not be resubmitted until all of Dr. 
Rooney's data have been replaced by the work of others.
    Dr. Rooney has entered into a Voluntary Exclusion Agreement in 
which he has voluntarily agreed for a period of three (3) years, 
beginning on May 16, 2003:
    (1) To exclude himself from any contracting or subcontracting with 
any agency of the United States Government and from eligibility for, or 
involvement in, nonprocurement transactions of the United States 
Government as defined in 45 CFR Part 76; and
    (2) To exclude himself from serving in any advisory capacity to PHS 
including

[[Page 38342]]

but not limited to service on any PHS advisory committee, board, and/or 
peer review committee, or as a consultant.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Director, Division of Investigative 
Oversight, Office of Research Integrity, 1101 Wootton Parkway, Suite 
750, Rockville, MD 20852, (301) 443-5330.

Lawrence J. Rhoades,
Acting Director, Office of Research Integrity.
[FR Doc. 03-16285 Filed 6-26-03; 8:45 am]
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