[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 1 (Tuesday, January 3, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 124-125]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-33650]


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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:
    Jennifer Jamieson, State University of New York, Upstate Medical 
University: Based on the report of an investigation conducted by the 
State University of New York, Upstate Medical University (SUNY US) and 
additional analysis conducted by ORI in its oversight review, ORI found 
that Ms. Jennifer Jamieson, former graduate student, Department of Cell 
and Developmental Biology, SUNY US, engaged in research misconduct in 
research supported by National Institute of General Medical Sciences 
(NIGMS), National Institutes of Health (NIH), grant R01 GM047607-18A1, 
and National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), NIH, grants R01 
HL70244-05.
    ORI found that Respondent engaged in research misconduct by 
falsifying data that were included in grant application R01 GM047607-
18A1, in a manuscript submitted for publication to the Journal of Cell 
Biology, and in several interdepartmental data presentations. 
Specifically, ORI found that:
     Respondent falsified Figure 1A in a manuscript submitted 
for publication to the Journal of Cell Biology, by altering 
immunoprecipitation Western blot data to make this experiment appear 
that no Vav2 SH2 was associated with PKL 3YF, when in fact it did. In 
addition, the Respondent falsified five figures depicting Western blots 
of similar experiments in four laboratory meeting presentations. The 
purpose of the falsifications was to show that the experimental results 
were as described when they were not, or to show that the results were 
of greater significance than they actually were.
     Respondent falsified Figure 3I in a manuscript submitted 
for publication to the Journal of Cell Biology by falsely labeling a 
Western blot to indicate levels of expression for various Vav2 mutants, 
when the experimental data were taken from a completely unrelated 
experiment.
     Respondent falsified Figure 6A in an interdepartmental 
laboratory presentation by falsifying Western blot data to falsely 
depict Paxillin and Hic-5 expression and phosphorylation levels after 
siRNA treatment.
     Respondent falsified Figure 5 from NIGMS, NIH, grant 
application GM047607-18A1, by falsifying Western blot data to support 
the hypothesis that co-transfection of PKL plus RhoA GEF Vav2 induces 
RhoA activation and signaling upon plating on fibronectin.
    Ms. Jamieson has entered into a Voluntary Settlement Agreement 
(Agreement). Ms Jamieson neither admits nor denies ORI's finding of 
scientific misconduct nor any particular finding of fact asserted in 
support of that finding. The settlement is not an admission of 
liability on the part of the Respondent.
    Ms. Jamieson has voluntarily agreed for a period of three (3) 
years, beginning on December 20, 2011:
    (1) To have her research supervised if employed by an institution 
that receives or applies for U.S. Public Health Service (PHS) funding; 
Respondent agrees that prior to the submission of an application for 
PHS support for a research project on which the Respondent's 
participation is proposed and prior to Respondent's participation in 
any capacity on PHS-supported research, Respondent shall ensure that a 
plan for supervision of her duties is submitted to ORI for approval; 
the supervision plan must be designed to ensure the scientific 
integrity of Respondent's research contribution; Respondent agrees that 
she shall not participate in any PHS-supported research until such a 
supervision plan is submitted to and approved by ORI;

[[Page 125]]

Respondent agrees to maintain responsibility for compliance with the 
agreed upon supervision plan;
    (2) that any institution employing her shall submit, in conjunction 
with each application for PHS funds, or report, manuscript, or abstract 
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 were accurately reported in the 
application, report, manuscript, or abstract; and
    (3) to exclude herself 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. 2011-33650 Filed 12-30-11; 8:45 am]
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