[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 246 (Wednesday, December 26, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66283-66284]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-27874]
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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 against Uthra
Rajamani, Ph.D. (Respondent), former project scientist in the Induced
Pluripotent Stem Cell Core Facility, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
(CSMC). Dr. Rajamani engaged in research misconduct in research
supported by National Center for Advancing Translational Science
(NCATS), National Institutes of Health (NIH), grant UL1 TR000124. The
administrative actions, including supervision for a period of one (1)
year, were implemented beginning on November 27, 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:
Uthra Rajamani, Ph.D., Cedars-Sinai Medical Center: Based on the
report of an inquiry conducted by CSMC, the Respondent's admission, and
additional analysis conducted by ORI in its oversight review, ORI found
that Dr. Uthra Rajamani, former project scientist in the Induced
Pluripotent Stem Cell Core Facility, CSMC, engaged in research
misconduct in research supported by NCATS, NIH, grant UL1 TR000124.
ORI found that Respondent engaged in research misconduct by
falsifying data that were included in the following paper: Nature
Communications 8(219):1-15, 2017 (hereafter referred to as ``Nature
Communications 2017'').
ORI found that Respondent knowingly and intentionally falsified
western blot images in Nature Communications 2017 by using the same
western blot panel to represent the
[[Page 66284]]
expression of different proteins from whole cell lysates exposed to
different endocrine disrupting chemical (EDC) treatments. Specifically,
Respondent:
Digitally altered the original image to darken the western
blot panel for COX IV expression in Figure 4b in Nature Communications
2017 and represented the blot as the expression of:
--pNF-kB p65 Figure 4b in Nature Communications 2017
--NF-kB p65 Figure 4b in Nature Communications 2017
--p50 Figure 4b in Nature Communications 2017
--p105 Figure 4b in Nature Communications 2017
--p100 Figure 4b Nature Communications 2017
Digitally altered the original image by superimposing a
darker band over the original bands in lanes 2 and 4 of the western
blot panel for COX IV expression in whole cell lysates exposed to
different endocrine disrupting chemical (EDC) treatments in Figure 4b
in Nature Communications 2017 and represented the falsified blot in
Figure 6a in Nature Communications 2017 as expression of:
-- P-p65 Figure 6a in Nature Communications 2017
-- p50 Figure 6a in Nature Communications 2017
-- p105 Figure 6a in Nature Communications 2017
-- p52 Figure 6a in Nature Communications 2017
Reused and relabeled the blot from Figure 3d in Cell Stem
Cell 22:698-712, 2018 to falsely represent BiP expression under
different experimental conditions in Figure 3d in Nature Communications
2017.
As a result of its inquiry, CSMC recommended that Nature
Communications 2017 be retracted.
Dr. Rajamani entered into a Voluntary Settlement Agreement
(Agreement) and voluntarily agreed:
(1) To have her research supervised for a period of one (1) year
beginning on November 27, 2018; Respondent agrees that prior to
submission of an application for U.S. Public Health Service (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, Respondent shall ensure that a plan for
supervision of Respondent's 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; Respondent agrees
to maintain responsibility for compliance with the agreed upon
supervision plan;
(2) that for a period of one (1) year beginning on November 27,
2018, 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 are accurately reported in the
application, report, manuscript, or abstract;
(3) that if no supervisory plan is provided to ORI, Respondent will
provide certification to ORI at the conclusion of the supervision
period that she has not engaged in, applied for, or had her name
included on any application, proposal, or other request for PHS funds
without prior notification to ORI;
(4) 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 a period of
one (1) year beginning on November 27, 2018; and
(5) that as a condition of the Agreement, Respondent will request
that Nature Communications 8(219):1-15, 2017 be retracted.
Wanda K. Jones,
Interim Director, Office of Research Integrity.
[FR Doc. 2018-27874 Filed 12-21-18; 8:45 am]
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