[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 220 (Thursday, November 14, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61916-61917]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-24691]


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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 Deepti 
Malhotra, Ph.D. (Respondent), former Doctoral Student and Postdoctoral 
Fellow, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Johns Hopkins 
Bloomberg School of Public Health (JHSPH). Dr. Malhotra engaged in 
research misconduct in research supported by U.S. Public Health Service 
(PHS) funds, specifically National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute 
(NHLBI), National Institutes of Health (NIH), grants R01 HL081205, P50 
HL084945, P50 HL084948-01, U01 HL105569-03, P50 HL107169-01, R01 
HL066554-09, and R03 HL096931-02; National Institute of Environmental 
Health Sciences (NIEHS), NIH, grants P50 ES015903, P01 ES018176-01, and 
P30 ES003891-25; National Cancer Institute (NCI), NIH, grant P50 
CA058184-18; and National Institute for Research Resources (NCRR), NIH, 
grant UL1 RR025005-02. The administrative actions, including debarment 
for a period of four (4) years, were implemented beginning on October 
1, 2019, and are detailed below.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Elisabeth A. Handley, Interim 
Director, Office of Research Integrity, 1101 Wootton Parkway, Suite 
240, 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:
    Deepti Malhotra, Ph.D., Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public 
Health: Based on the report of an investigation conducted by JHSPH and 
analysis conducted by ORI in its oversight review, ORI found that Dr. 
Deepti Malhotra, former Doctoral Student and Postdoctoral Fellow, 
Department of Environmental Health Sciences, JHSPH, engaged in research 
misconduct in research supported by PHS funds, specifically NHLBI, NIH, 
grants R01 HL081205, P50 HL084945, P50 HL084948-01, U01 HL105569-03, 
P50 HL107169-01, R01 HL066554-09, and R03 HL096931-02; NIEHS, NIH, 
grants P50 ES015903, P01 ES018176-01, and P30 ES003891-25; NCI, NIH, 
grant P50 CA058184-18; and NCRR, NIH, grant UL1 RR025005-02.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 four (4) published papers 
and her Ph.D. Thesis:
     Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2008;178(6):592-604 (hereafter 
referred to as ``AJRCCM 2008''). Retracted in: Am J Respir Crit Care 
Med. 2016 Feb 1;193(3):344.
     Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2009;180(12):1196-1207 
(hereafter referred to as ``AJRCCM 2009''). Retracted in: Am J Respir 
Crit Care Med. 2016 Feb 1;193(3):344.
     J Clin Invest. 2011;121(11):4289-4302 (hereafter referred 
to as ``JCI 2011''). Retracted in:
    J Clin Invest. 2014 Dec;124(12):5521.
     PLoS Comput Biol. 2012;8(7):e1002597 (hereafter referred 
to as ``PLoS Comput Biol. 2012'').
     Malhotra D. ``Transcription Factor Nuclear Factor 
(Erythroid-Derived 2) Receptor 2 (Nrf2), A Master Regulator of 
Environmental Stress Response, Is A Modifier Of Chronic Obstructive 
Pulmonary Disease (COPD).'' A dissertation submitted to the Johns 
Hopkins University in conformity with the requirements for the degree 
of Doctor of Philosophy, August 2010 (hereafter referred to as the 
``Ph.D. Thesis'').
    Respondent knowingly, intentionally, and/or recklessly falsified 
and/or fabricated Western blot data for protein expression in cultured 
cell lines and/or alveolar macrophages of patients with chronic 
obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) by trimming and manipulating 
Western blot images to disguise their origin or by reversing negative 
DNA gel images of the PCR product, reusing and relabeling them to 
represent Western blot data for unrelated experiments in seventeen (17) 
figures included in four (4) published papers and twelve (12) figures 
included in her Ph.D. Thesis. In the absence of original reliable image 
data, the quantitative data in associated plots, statistical analyses, 
and related text also are falsified and/or fabricated. Specifically, 
Respondent falsified and/or fabricated the following figures included 
in:

 AJRCCM 2008

    [ssquf] by reusing sets of repeating blot band images from unknown 
and/or differently labeled film images to falsely create Western Blot 
panels of:

[rtarr9] GAPDH in Figure 1C, also included as Figure 2-4B in the Ph.D. 
Thesis
[rtarr9] GAPDH, DJ-1 and KEAP1 in Figure 2B, also included as Figure 2-
4C in the Ph.D. Thesis
[rtarr9] GAPDH in Figure 5D, also included as Figure 2-7A in the Ph.D. 
Thesis
[rtarr9] DJ-1, NRF2, NQO1, and GAPDH in Figure 6B, also included as 
Figure 2-8B in the Ph.D. Thesis

 AJRCCM 2009

    [ssquf] by trimming Western blot panel representing samples from:

[rtarr9] Human subjects in Figure 4C and in the Ph.D. Thesis, Figure 3-
7C, right column, Figure 3-7G, right column, and Figure 3-8A, right 
column, GAPDH lanes 1-4, and reusing them to represent samples from 
mice in Figure 3A and in the Ph.D. Thesis, Figure 3-6A
[rtarr9] normal human subjects in Figures 4C and 5A, left column, and 
in the Ph.D.

[[Page 61917]]

Thesis, Figures 3-7C and 3-8A, left column, and reusing them after 
flipping horizontally and vertically as lanes 12-18 in the same GAPDH 
panel in the same figures to represent samples from COPD patients

 JCI 2011

    [ssquf] by trimming Western blot panels from:

[rtarr9] Figure 2D, reusing and relabeling in Figure 4A to represent 
different samples
[rtarr9] Supplemental Figure 1A, reusing and relabeling in Figure 4A to 
represent different samples
[rtarr9] Figure 3F, reusing and relabeling Figure 3B, bottom panel, in 
PloS Comp Biol. 2012
[rtarr9] Figure 9B and the Ph.D. Thesis Figure 4-9H, bottom panel, 
lanes 1-5, and reusing them in Figure 4-8C, lanes 4-8, in the Ph.D. 
Thesis, to represent different samples
[rtarr9] Figure 9B and the Ph.D. Thesis, Figure 4-9H, middle panel, 
lanes 1-3, and reusing them in Figure 4-8C, middle panel, lanes 2-4, in 
the Ph.D. Thesis, to represent different samples
[rtarr9] Figure 9D and the Ph.D. Thesis, Figure 4-9I, top panel, lanes 
1-4, and reusing them after flipping horizontally in Figure 4-8C, top 
panel, lanes 1-4, in the Ph.D. Thesis, to represent different samples
    [ssquf] by trimming negative DNA gel images from:

[rtarr9] Figure 2A, reversing and reusing the positive image as Western 
blot images in:
 Figure 3B
 Supplemental Figure 3A
[rtarr9] Figure 3G, reversing and reusing the positive image as Western 
blots in different panels in Figure 3B in PloS Comp Biol. 2012
    Dr. Malhotra entered into a Voluntary Exclusion Agreement 
(Agreement) and agreed for a period of four (4) years, beginning on 
October 1, 2019:

    (1) To exclude herself voluntarily 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 herself 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.

Elisabeth A. Handley,
Interim Director, Office of Research Integrity.
[FR Doc. 2019-24691 Filed 11-13-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4150-31-P