[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 56 (Thursday, March 22, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12584-12585]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-05774]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES


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 
Bhagavathi Narayanan, Ph.D., former Research Associate Professor, 
Department of Environmental Medicine, New York University (NYU). Dr. 
Narayanan engaged in research misconduct in research supported by 
National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Institutes of Health (NIH), 
grants R03 CA107813, R01 CA106296, R01 CA106296-05S1, R03 CA133929, and 
P30 CA017613. The administrative actions, including debarment for a 
period of three (3) years, were implemented beginning on February 26, 
2018, and 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:
    Bhagavathi Narayanan, Ph.D., New York University: Based on the 
report of an investigation conducted by NYU and analysis conducted by 
ORI in its oversight review, ORI found that Dr. Bhagavathi Narayanan, 
former Research Associate Professor, Department of Environmental 
Medicine, NYU, engaged in research misconduct in research supported by 
NCI, NIH, grants R03 CA107813, R01 CA106296, R01 CA106296-05S1, R03 
CA133929, and P30 CA017613.
    ORI found that Respondent engaged in research misconduct by 
knowingly and intentionally falsifying and/or fabricating data reported 
in the following three (3) published papers and seven (7) grant 
applications submitted to NIH:

 Clin. Cancer Res. 9:3503-3513, 2003 (hereafter referred to as 
``Clin. Cancer Res. 2003'')
 Anticancer Res. 31(12):4347-4358, 2011 (hereafter referred to 
as ``Anticancer Res. 2011'')
 Int. J. Oncol. 40:13-20, 2012 (hereafter referred to as ``Int. 
J. Oncol. 2012'')
 R01 CA163381-01
 R01 CA138741-01A1
 R01 CA106296-06A1
 R01 CA106296-06A2
 R03 CA158253-01A1
 R21 CA170314-01
 R01 ES024139-01

    ORI found that Respondent fabricated and/or falsified Western blot 
data for protein expression levels in cancer tissues and/or cells in 
fifty-eight (58) blot panels included in twenty-two (22) figures 
reported in three (3) papers and seven (7) grant applications submitted 
to NIH. In the absence of valid Western blot images, the quantitative 
data presented in associated bar graphs and statistical analyses also 
are false.
    Specifically, Respondent trimmed and/or copied Western blot images 
from unrelated sources, manipulated them to obscure their origin, and 
reused and relabeled them to represent different experimental results 
in:

 Figures 5C, 6C, and 7C in Clin. Cancer Res. 2003
 Figures 2c, 4b, 6a, and 6b in Int. J. Oncol. 2012
 Figure 2B in Anticancer Res. 2011, also as Figure 1C in R01 
CA163381-01
 Figure 2A in Anticancer Res. 2011, also as Figure 1B in R01 
CA163381-01
 Figure 5D in Anticancer Res. 2011, also as Figure 8 in R01 
CA163381-01
 Figure 1A in R01 CA163381-01
 Figure 6 in R01 CA138741-01A1
 Figure 4 in R01 CA106296-06A1
 Figure 4 in R01 CA106296-06A2
 Figures 3 and 6 in R03 CA158253-01A1
 Figures 3 and 4 in R21 CA170314-01
 Figures 8A and 8B in R01 ES024139-01

    Dr. Narayanan entered into a Voluntary Exclusion Agreement and 
voluntarily agreed, beginning on February 26, 2018:
    (1) To exclude herself for a period of three (3) years from any 
contracting or subcontracting with any agency of the United States 
Government and from eligibility or involvement in nonprocurement 
programs of the United States Government referred to as ``covered 
transactions'' pursuant to

[[Page 12585]]

HHS' Implementation (2 CFR part 376) of OMB Guidelines to Agencies on 
Governmentwide Debarment and Suspension, 2 CFR part 180 (collectively 
the ``Debarment Regulations'');
    (2) to exclude herself voluntarily from serving in any advisory 
capacity to the U.S. Public Health Service (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 three (3) years; 
and
    (3) as a condition of the Agreement, to the retraction of 
Anticancer Res. 31(12):4347-4358, 2011 (PMID: 22199300), and will 
request that this paper be retracted.

Wanda K. Jones,
Interim Director, Office of Research Integrity.
[FR Doc. 2018-05774 Filed 3-21-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4150-31-P