[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 172 (Wednesday, September 7, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54701-54703]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-19263]


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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 
Ritankar Majumdar, Ph.D. (Respondent), who was a postdoctoral fellow in 
the intramural program of the Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular 
Biology (CMB), Center for Cancer Research (CCR), National Cancer 
Institute (NCI), National Institutes of Health (NIH). Respondent 
engaged in research misconduct in research supported by U.S. Public 
Health Service (PHS) funds, specifically the NCI Intramural Research 
Program. The administrative actions, including supervision for a period 
of three (3) years, were implemented beginning on August 15, 2022, and 
are detailed below.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Wanda K. Jones, Dr.P.H., Acting 
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:
    Ritankar Majumdar, Ph.D., National Institutes of Health: Based on 
the report of an investigation conducted by NIH and analysis conducted 
by ORI in its oversight review, ORI found that Dr. Ritankar Majumdar, 
former postdoctoral fellow in the intramural program of the Laboratory 
of CMB, CCR, NCI, NIH, engaged in research misconduct in research 
supported by PHS funds, specifically the NCI Intramural Research 
Program.
    ORI found that Respondent engaged in research misconduct by 
knowingly or recklessly falsifying and/or fabricating data in the 
following one (1) published paper, one (1) manuscript, three (3) PHS 
grant applications, and fifteen (15) presentations:
     Exosomes Mediate LTB4 Release during Neutrophil 
Chemotaxis. PloS Biol. 2016 Jan 7; 14(1):e1002336; doi: 10.1371/
journal.pbio.1002336 (hereafter referred to as ``PloS Biol 2016'').

[[Page 54702]]

Retraction in: PLoS Biol. 2021 Jul 7;19(7):e3001320; doi: 10.1371/
journal.pbio.3001320.
     Biogenesis of Leukotriene B4-Containing Exosomes at the 
Nuclear Envelope. Manuscript accepted for publication in Nature Cell 
Biology in 2019 and withdrawn (hereafter referred to as the ``NCB 
manuscript'').
     R01 AI145072-01, ``Signal relay during directed cell 
migration,'' submitted to the National Institute of Allergy and 
Infectious Diseases (NIAID), NIH, on 06/04/2018.
     R01 AI145072-01A1, ``Signal relay during directed cell 
migration,'' submitted to NIAID, NIH, on 04/16/2019.
     R01 AI152517-01, ``Signal relay during directed cell 
migration,'' submitted to NIAID, NIH, on 08/16/2019, funded from 07/10/
2020-6/30/2025.
     LTB4-synthesizing enzymes aggregate on nuclear lipid rafts 
that bud exosomes to mediate signal relay during neutrophil chemotaxis. 
Poster Presentation at the University of Maryland (UMD) in 2016 
(hereafter referred to as the ``UMD 2016 presentation'').
     Exosome secretion as an effective mechanism of LTB4-
mediated signal relay in migrating neutrophils. Oral presentation at 
the American Society for Exosomes and Microvesicles (ASEM) on 10/17/
2015 (hereafter referred to as the ``ASEM 2015 presentation'').
     Chemotactic gradient amplification through the release of 
extracellular vesicles during eukaryotic chemotaxis. Oral presentation 
at Collective Dynamics in Microorganisms and Cellular Systems (CDMCS) 
on 05/25/2016 (hereafter referred to as the ``CDMCS 2016 
presentation'').
     Signal Relay is Mediated by Exosome Release during 
Dictyostelium and Neutrophil Chemotaxis. Oral presentation at 
International CIM (Cells in Motion) Symposium 2015 on 09/14/2015 
(hereafter referred to as the ``CIM 2015 presentation'').
     Do ESCRTS DR(ea)M of nuclear MVBs? Interplay of ESCRT 
Dependent and Independent processes in Exosome Biogenesis during Relay 
of Chemotactic Signals in Neutrophils. Poster presentation at Directed 
Cell Migration Gordon Research Conference (GRC) from 01/22/2017-01/27/
2017 (hereafter referred to as the ``GRC 2017 presentation'').
     Nuclear Lipid Microdomains as a Novel Niche for Exosome 
Biogenesis: Interplay of ESCRT Dependent and Independent Processes 
During Relay of Chemotactic Signals in Neutrophils OR Do ESCRTs DR(ea)M 
of nuclear MVBs? Oral presentation at Directed Cell Migration Gordon 
Research Seminar (GRS) on 01/21/2017 (GRS2017.pptx) (hereafter referred 
to as the ``GRS 2017 presentation'').
     Lab Meeting on 02/13/15 (hereafter referred to as ``Lab 
Meeting 02/13/15'').
     Lab Meeting in August 2015 (hereafter referred to as ``Lab 
Meeting 08/2015'').
     Lab Meeting on October 7, 2016 (hereafter referred to as 
``Lab Meeting 10/07/2016'').
     Lab Meeting in July 2016 (hereafter referred to as ``Lab 
Meeting 07/2016'').
     A series of fortunate events. Lab Meeting in December 2016 
(hereafter referred to as ``Lab Meeting 12/2016'').
     Lab Meeting on November 4, 2015 (hereafter referred to as 
``Lab Meeting 11/04/2015'').
     Exosome secretion as an effective mechanism of LTB4 
mediated signal relay in migrating neutrophils. LCMB Presentation in 
2015 (hereafter referred to as ``LCMB 2015 presentation V1'').
     Exosome secretion as an effective mechanism of LTB4 
mediated signal relay in migrating neutrophils. LCMB Presentation in 
2015 (hereafter referred to as ``LCMB 2015 presentation V2'').
     Extracellular Vesicles mediate signal relay during 
Chemotaxis. LCMB Seminar in 2014 (hereafter referred to as ``LCMB 2014 
seminar'').
     Data compilation for LCMB Seminar in 2016 (hereafter 
referred to as ``LCMB 2016 seminar data 1'').
     A series of fortunate events: Do ESCRTs DR(ea)M of nuclear 
MVBs? Oral presentation at LCMB in 2016 (hereafter referred to as 
``LCMB 2016 seminar data 2'').
    Specifically, ORI found that:
     Respondent knowingly or recklessly falsified and/or 
fabricated electron microscopic (EM) image data for the formation of 
multivesicular bodies (MVBs) in migrating primary neutrophils following 
chemoattractant activation by:

--adding and/or removing 5-lipoxygenase (5-LO) immunogold signal and/or 
cell organelle membranes and/or subcellular vesicles in:
    [rtarr8] NCB manuscript:
--Figure 1B, also included in:
    [ssquf] Figure 4C in R01 AI145072-01
    [ssquf] Figure 3B in R01 AI145072-01A1
    [ssquf] Slide 8 in Lab Meeting 10/07/2016
    [ssquf] Slide 2 in Lab Meeting 12/2016
    [ssquf] Column 2, Row 1 in GRC 2017 presentation 1
--Figures 1C and 1D
--Figure 7D, also included in:
    [ssquf] Slide 14 in Lab Meeting 10/07/2016
    [ssquf] Slide 3 in Lab Meeting 12/2016
    [ssquf] Column 2 Row 4 in GRC 2017 presentation 1

    [rtarr8] PloS Biology 2016:

--Figure 2A, also included in:
    [ssquf] Figure 11 in UMD 2016 presentation
--Figure 2B, also included in:
    [ssquf] Slide 20 in LCMB 2015 presentation V1
    [ssquf] Slide 20 in LCMB 2015 presentation V2
--Figure 2C, also included in:
    [ssquf] Slide 20 in LCMB 2015 presentation V1
    [ssquf] Slide 22 in LCMB 2015 presentation V2
    [ssquf] Slide 6 in GRS 2017 presentation 2
--Figure 2Giii, also included in:
    [ssquf] Figure 3 in R01 AI145072-01
    [ssquf] Figure 2 in R01 AI145072-01A1
    [ssquf] Figure 2 in R01 AI152517-01
    [ssquf] Slide 20 in Lab Meeting 08/2015
    [ssquf] Slide 5 in Lab Meeting 07/2016
    [ssquf] Slide 17 in Lab Meeting 11/04/2015
    [ssquf] Slide 18 in LCMB 2015 presentation V1
    [ssquf] Slide 68 in LCMB 2015 presentation V2
    [ssquf] Slides 7 and 13 in LCMB 2016 seminar data 1
    [ssquf] Slides 6 and 12 in LCMB 2016 seminar data 2
    [ssquf] Figure 1b in UMD 2016 presentation
    [ssquf] Slide 16 in ASEM 2015 presentation
    [ssquf] Slide 32 in CDMCS 2016 presentation
    [ssquf] Slide 46 in CIM 2015 presentation
    [ssquf] Column 1, Row 4 in GRC 2017 presentation 1
    [ssquf] Slides 10 and 12 in GRS 2017 presentation 2

    [rtarr8] R01 AI145072-01A1:

--Figure 3D, also included in:
    [ssquf] Figure 3D in R01 AI152517-01
    [ssquf] Figure 4Diii in AI145072-01
    [ssquf] Slide 4 in Lab Meeting 12/2016
--presenting EM images from the same source and falsely relabeling them 
to represent different experimental results in:
    [rtarr8] Figures 1A and 7D in the NCB manuscript
    [rtarr8] Figures 2A and 2D in PloS Biology 2016

     Respondent knowingly or recklessly falsified and/or 
fabricated immunoblot image data for chemoattractant activation of MVBs 
in migrating primary neutrophils in:

--Supplemental Figure 2B of the NCB manuscript:
    [rtarr8] by copying the panel representing ``5-LO'' in Figure 1C in 
PloS Biology 2016, and flipping, re-sizing, and relabeling it to 
represent ``Flotillin''
    [rtarr8] by copying the panel representing

[[Page 54703]]

``5-LO'' in the second row of the left column in Slide 9 in Lab Meeting 
02/13/15 and rotating, resizing, and relabeling to represent 
``Laminin''

     Respondent knowingly or recklessly falsified and/or 
fabricated time-lapse confocal microscopic image data for nuclear 
envelope vesicle formation by falsely presenting still images in 
reverse order from the original movies in the NCB manuscript:

--Supplemental Movie S1
--Figure 2A, also included in:
    [rtarr8] Figure 4 in R01 AI145072-01A1
    [rtarr8] Slide 8 in Lab Meeting 07/2016
    [rtarr8] Figure 11 in UMD 2016 presentation
    [rtarr8] Slide 38 in LCMB 2016 seminar data 1

    Dr. Majumdar entered into a Voluntary Settlement Agreement 
(Agreement) and voluntarily agreed to the following:
    (1) Respondent will have his research supervised for a period of 
three (3) years beginning on August 15, 2022 (the ``Supervision 
Period''). 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 in PHS-
supported research, Respondent will submit a plan for supervision of 
Respondent's duties to ORI for approval. The supervision plan must be 
designed to ensure the integrity of Respondent's research. Respondent 
will not participate in any PHS-supported research until such a 
supervision plan is approved by ORI. Respondent will comply with the 
agreed-upon supervision plan.
    (2) The requirements for Respondent's supervision plan are as 
follows:
    i. A committee of 2-3 senior faculty members at the institution who 
are familiar with Respondent's field of research, but not including 
Respondent's supervisor or collaborators, will provide oversight and 
guidance for a period of three (3) years from the effective date of the 
Agreement. The committee will review primary data from Respondent's 
laboratory on a quarterly basis and submit a report to ORI at six (6) 
month intervals setting forth the committee meeting dates and 
Respondent's compliance with appropriate research standards and 
confirming the integrity of Respondent's research.
    ii. The committee will conduct an advance review of each 
application for PHS funds, or report, manuscript, or abstract involving 
PHS-supported research in which Respondent is involved. The review will 
include a discussion with Respondent of the primary data represented in 
those documents and will include a certification to ORI that the data 
presented in the proposed application, report, manuscript, or abstract 
are supported by the research record.
    (3) During the Supervision Period, Respondent will ensure that any 
institution employing him submits, 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 and not plagiarized 
in the application, report, manuscript, or abstract.
    (4) If no supervision plan is provided to ORI, Respondent will 
provide certification to ORI at the conclusion of the Supervision 
Period that his participation was not proposed on a research project 
for which an application for PHS support was submitted and that he has 
not participated in any capacity in PHS-supported research.
    (5) During the Supervision Period, Respondent will exclude himself 
voluntarily from serving in any advisory or consultant capacity to PHS 
including, but not limited to, service on any PHS advisory committee, 
board, and/or peer review committee.

    Dated: September 1, 2022.
Wanda K. Jones,
Acting Director, Office of Research Integrity, Office of the Assistant 
Secretary for Health.
[FR Doc. 2022-19263 Filed 9-6-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4150-31-P