[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:
    <bullet> 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

    <bullet> 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

    <bullet> 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]
 BILLING CODE 4150-31-P