[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 101 (Friday, May 24, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24165-24166]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-10874]


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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 William 
W. Cruikshank, Ph.D. (Respondent), former Professor of Medicine, 
Pulmonary Center, Boston University (BU) School of Medicine. Dr. 
Cruikshank engaged in research misconduct in research supported by 
National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Institutes of Health (NIH), 
grant R01 CA122737-01A2. The administrative actions, including 
debarment for a period of five (5) years, were implemented beginning on 
May 13, 2019, 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:
    William W. Cruikshank, Ph.D., Boston University School of Medicine: 
Based on the report of an investigation conducted by BU and analysis 
conducted by ORI in its oversight review, ORI found that Dr. William W. 
Cruikshank, former Professor of Medicine, Pulmonary Center, BU School 
of Medicine, engaged in research misconduct in research supported by 
NCI, NIH, grant R01 CA122737-01A2.
    ORI found that Respondent engaged in research misconduct by 
knowingly, intentionally, and/or recklessly falsifying and/or 
fabricating data included in the following published paper, an earlier 
version of the submitted manuscript, a seminar presentation, and two 
grant applications submitted to NCI, NIH:
     J. Clin. Invest. 2011;121:4838-49 (hereafter referred to 
as ``JCI 2011''). Retracted in J. Clin. Invest. 2014;124(11):5085.
     Manuscript submitted to J. Clin. Invest. (hereafter 
referred to as the ``JCI manuscript'').
     Cruikshank, W. ``A New Look at T Cell Cancers: A Case 
Study of Translational Research.'' Presented at the Clinical Research 
Training (CREST) Seminar Series on 09/08/09 (hereafter referred to as 
the ``CREST Presentation'').
     R01 CA122737-01A1 and R01 CA122737-01A2.
    Respondent knowingly, intentionally, and recklessly falsified and/
or fabricated Western blot data for protein expression in primary CD4+ 
T cells from patients with advanced T-cell acute lymphocytic leukemia 
(T-ALL) or cutaneous T-cell lymphomas (CTCL), by copying blot band 
images from unrelated sources, manipulating to disguise their origin, 
and combining multiple images to generate new figures to falsely 
represent results using sixty-four (64) such band images in the 
following sixteen (16) figures and related text included in one (1) 
manuscript, one (1) published paper, two (2) grant applications, and a 
seminar presentation:

 Figures 1 and 3 in JCI 2011, also included as Figure 3 (top 
and bottom right) in R01 CA122737-01A2 and as Figures 1 and 4 in the 
initial JCI manuscript, respectively
 Figure 8B in JCI 2011, also included as Figure 9 in R01 
CA122737-01A2
 Figure 9 in JCI 2011
 Figures 14A and 14B in R01 CA122737-01A2, also included as 
Figure 14B in R01 CA122737-01A1
 Figure 4 in R01 CA122737-01A2, also included as Figure 4 in 
R01 CA122737-01A1
 Slides 24, 25, and 29 in the CREST Presentation

    Specifically:
     In Figure 3 in JCI 2011, also included as Figure 4 in the 
JCI manuscript and Slide 24 of the CREST Presentation (with no white 
spaces between bands) as well as Figure 3 (top right section with the 
tubulin panel flipped 180[deg] clockwise) in R01 CA122737-01A2, the 
respondent reused a single Western blot band image to represent 
expression of tubulin and Pro-IL-16 in more than one experimental and 
control subjects.
     In Figure 1 in JCI 2011, also included as Figure 1 in the 
JCI manuscript, Figure 3 (bottom panel) in R01 CA122737-01A2, and in 
Slide 25 of the CREST Presentation, the respondent copied blot band 
images from unpublished and/or previously published unrelated 
experiments and reused a single Western blot band image to falsely 
represent expression of p27Kip1 and Skp2 in more than one CTCL Patient.
     The respondent reused and relabeled blot band images from 
unpublished and/or previously published unrelated experiments to 
falsely represent new experimental results as follows:

[rtarr8] Four band images from the unpublished and unrelated figure

[[Page 24166]]

``CSC x 24 hrs'' to represent Skp2 protein expression in CTCL Patients
[rtarr8] Six band images from Figure 5B in a paper published in 
Biochemistry \1\ to represent Actin protein expression in eight (8) 
CTCL Patients, one (1) T-ALL Patient, and two (2) normal subjects in 
Figure 1 of JCI 2011 and Figure 3 (bottom panel) in R01 CA122737-01A2
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    \1\ Wilson KC, Cruikshank WW, Center DM, Zhang Y. 
Prointerleukin-16 contains a functional CcN motif that regulates 
nuclear localization. Biochemistry 2002;41:14306-14312 (hereafter 
referred to as ``Biochemistry 2002'').

     In Figure 8B (bottom part) in JCI 2011, also included as 
Figure 9 in R01 CA122737-01A2 and Slide 29 in the CREST Presentation, 
respondent falsely reused [beta]-actin, Laminin B, alpha-tubulin, GFP-
Pro-IL-16 and HSC70 band images of ``Knockdown of HSC70 in Jurkat cells 
and Hut78 cells'' as from Normal Human Patient and Normal Subject T-
cells.
     In Figure 14A in R01 CA122737-01A2, respondent falsely 
reused GFP-Pro-IL-16 band images of ``Knockdown of HSC70 in Jurkat 
cells'' as AKT and phospho-AKT expression and the nuclear Pro-IL-16 
band images from Figure 5B in Biochemistry 2002 as FOXO1 protein 
expression in human T-cells stimulated with IL-16.
     In Figure 14B in R01 CA122737-01A1 and R01 CA122737-01A2, 
respondent falsely reused band images from Figure 5B in Biochemistry 
2002 that represents Anti-pro IL6 and Anti-Tubulin to represent FOXO1 
protein expression in human T-cells.
     In Figure 9 in JCI 2011, respondent falsely reused band 
images representing CD26-T cells of CTCL Patient to also represent 
normal human subject control for CD26+ and control for CD26-T cells in 
the same figure.
     In Figure 5 in R01 CA122737-01A1, also included as Figure 
4 in R01 CA122737-01A2, respondent reused and falsely relabeled band 
images within the same figure to represent different experimental 
conditions.
    Respondent intentionally, knowingly, and recklessly falsified and/
or fabricated Western blot data for siRNA knockdown of Heat shock 
cognate 71 kDa protein (HSC70) in Jurkat cells purportedly with two 
different siRNA constructs, by reusing and relabeling ten (10) band 
images from experiments on Hut78 cells and a failed experiment in 
Jurkat cells, and included them in four (4) figures in one manuscript, 
one published paper, one grant application, and one presentation.
    Specifically, respondent reused band images of an unpublished 
Western blot figure, by:

 Reusing results of a single HSC70 siRNA knockdown on Hut78 
cells and relabeling them to represent data from Jurkat cells in Figure 
6 in the first submission of the JCI manuscript, Figure 6 in JCI 2011, 
and Figure 10 in R01 CA122737-01A2 (also included as Slide 27 in the 
CREST Presentation)
 reusing results for a second siRNA construct that failed to 
knockdown HSC70 in Jurkat cells and relabeling them as from control 
samples in Figure 6 in JCI 2011

    Dr. Cruikshank entered into a Voluntary Exclusion Agreement 
(Agreement) and voluntarily agreed for a period of five (5) years, 
beginning on May 13, 2019:
    (1) To exclude himself from any contracting or subcontracting with 
any agency of the United States Government and from eligibility for or 
involvement in nonprocurement programs of the United States Government 
referred to as ``covered transactions'' pursuant to HHS' Implementation 
(2 CFR part 376) of OMB Guidelines to Agencies on Governmentwide 
Debarment and Suspension, 2 CFR part 180 (collectively the ``Debarment 
Regulations''); and
    (2) 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.

Wanda K. Jones,
Interim Director, Office of Research Integrity.
[FR Doc. 2019-10874 Filed 5-23-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4150-31-P