[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 240 (Friday, December 15, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59626-59627]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-26961]


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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: Findings of research misconduct have been made on the part of 
Matthew Endo, former graduate student, Department of Chemistry, 
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The questioned research was 
supported by National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS), 
National Institutes of Health (NIH), grant R01 GM080436. The 
administrative actions, including three (3) years of supervision, which 
are implemented beginning on November 16, 2017, are detailed below.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Wanda K. Jones, Dr.P.H., Interim 
Director, Office of Research Integrity, 1101 Wootton Parkway, Suite 
750, Rockville, MD 20852, (240) 453-8200.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Notice is hereby given that the Office of 
Research Integrity (ORI) has taken final action in the following case:
    Matthew Endo, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign: Based on 
the Respondent's admission, an assessment conducted by University of 
Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), and analysis conducted by ORI in 
its oversight review, ORI found that Mr. Matthew Endo, a former 
graduate student, Department of Chemistry, UIUC, engaged in research 
misconduct in research supported by National Institute of General 
Medical Sciences (NIGMS), National Institutes of Health (NIH), grant 
R01 GM080436.
    ORI found that Respondent engaged in research misconduct by 
intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly causing false data to be 
recorded, falsifying and/or fabricating data and related images by 
alteration and/or reuse and/or relabeling of experimental data, and 
reporting falsified and/or fabricated data in one (1) manuscript 
subsequently submitted for publication:
 ``Amphotericin primarily kills human cells by binding and 
extracting cholesterol.'' Submitted for publication to the Proceedings 
of the National Academy of Sciences [withdrawn prior to peer review] 
(hereafter referred to as ``Manuscript 1'')

    Specifically, ORI found that:

 In Manuscript 1, Respondent caused falsified and/or fabricated 
results to be recorded by knowingly requesting biological testing of a 
mixture of compounds that he falsely claimed to be a single compound
 In Manuscript 1, Respondent falsified and/or fabricated the 
results on page S26 of the Supporting Information by modifying the HPLC 
trace through peak erasure to make the preparation of C35deOAmB appear 
more pure than in the actual results of experimentation
 In Manuscript 1, Respondent falsified and/or fabricated the 
results of Surface Plasmon Resonance data on page S7 of the Supporting 
Information to make the error bars smaller than the actual results of 
experimentation
 In Manuscript 1, Respondent falsified and/or fabricated the 
results of a WST08 Cell Proliferation Assay on page S32 of the 
Supporting Information by falsely claiming to run the reaction in 
triplicate when it was only performed in duplicate
 In correspondence with his advisor, Respondent falsified and/
or fabricated the results of the preparation of putative C2deoAmB where 
Respondent modified and relabeled a HPLC trace and relabeled an NMR 
spectrum to falsely claim characterization, purity, and identification 
of sample that was sent for biological assay

    Mr. Endo entered into a Voluntary Settlement Agreement and 
voluntarily agreed for a period of three (3) years, beginning on 
November 16, 2017:
    (1) To have his research supervised; Respondent agreed 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 must 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 agreed that he will not 
participate in any PHS-supported research until a plan for supervision 
is submitted and approved by ORI;
    (2) that any institution employing him must 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 are

[[Page 59627]]

accurately reported in the application, report, manuscript, or 
abstract;
    (3) if no supervisory plan is provided to ORI, to provide 
certification to ORI on annual basis that he has not engaged in, 
applied for, or had his name included on any application, proposal, or 
other request for PHS funds without prior notification to ORI; and
    (4) to exclude himself voluntarily 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.

Kathryn M. Partin,
Director, Office of Research Integrity.
[FR Doc. 2017-26961 Filed 12-14-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4150-31-P