[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 196 (Tuesday, October 11, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 62807-62808]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-26127]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Office of the Secretary


Findings of Research 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) has taken final action in the following case:
    Shamarendra Sanyal, PhD Duke University: Based on an inquiry 
conducted by Duke University (Duke), admissions by the Respondent, and 
additional analysis conducted by ORI in its oversight review, ORI and 
Duke found that Dr. Shamarendra Sanyal, former postdoctoral scholar, 
Duke, engaged in research misconduct by falsifying data in a grant 
application submitted to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute 
(NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
    Specifically, ORI found that the Respondent falsified Figure 2C of 
grant application 1 R01 HL107901-01, ``Store-operated calcium entry in 
airway inflammation,'' by altering the gain settings in the instrument 
used to measure store-operated current (SOC) densities in a whole cell 
patch clamp experiment comparing Stim 1+/- mouse airway 
cells and wild type mouse airway cells. Respondent also

[[Page 62808]]

falsified the calcium response data in Figure 5A (right panel) of the 
grant application referenced above by adding ATP as a reagent to the 
mouse airway epithelial cells to sharpen the results purported to be 
caused by PGN without disclosing that ATP had been added and without 
disclosing that ATP was not added to the control sample.
    The questioned research was not submitted for publication.
    Dr. Sanyal has entered into a Voluntary Settlement Agreement with 
ORI and Duke, in which he voluntarily agreed to the administrative 
actions set forth below. The administrative actions are required for 
two (2) years beginning on the date of Dr. Sanyal's employment in a 
research position in which he receives or applies for PHS support on or 
after the effective date of the Agreement (September 16, 2011); 
however, if he has not obtained employment in a research position in 
which he receives or applies for PHS support within three (3) years of 
the effective date of the Agreement, the administrative actions set 
forth below will no longer apply. Dr. Sanyal has voluntarily agreed:
    (1) To have his research supervised as described below and to 
notify his employer(s)/institutions(s) of the terms of this 
supervision; Respondent agrees to ensure that prior to the submission 
of an application for PHS support for a research project on which 
Respondent's participation is proposed and prior to Respondent's 
participation in any capacity on PHS supported research, the 
institution employing him will submit a plan for supervision of 
Respondent's duties to ORI for approval; the plan for supervision must 
be designed to ensure the scientific integrity of Respondent's research 
contribution; Respondent agrees that he will not participate in any PHS 
supported research from the effective date of this Agreement until a 
plan for supervision is submitted to and approved by ORI; Respondent 
agrees to be responsible for maintaining compliance with the agreed 
upon plan for supervision;
    (2) that any institution employing him must submit, in conjunction 
with each application for PHS funds, or report, manuscript, or contract 
involving PHS supported research in which Respondent is involved, a 
certification to ORI that the data provided by Respondent are based on 
actual experiments or are otherwise legitimately derived and that the 
data, procedures, and methodology are accurately reported in the 
application, report, manuscript, or abstract; and
    (3) to exclude himself 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 FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Director, Division of Investigative 
Oversight, Office of Research Integrity, 1101 Wootton Parkway, Suite 
750, Rockville, MD 20852, (240) 453-8800.

John Dahlberg,
Director, Division of Investigative Oversight, Office of Research 
Integrity.
[FR Doc. 2011-26127 Filed 10-7-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4150-31-P