[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 169 (Friday, September 1, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60466-60467]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-18954]


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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 Surangi 
(Suranji) Jayawardena, Ph.D. (Respondent), who was an Assistant 
Professor of Chemistry, University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH). 
Respondent engaged in research misconduct in grant applications 
submitted for U.S. Public Health Service (PHS) funds, specifically R21 
AI154256, R21 AI152064, R21 AI149142, and R15 AI146978 submitted to the 
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National 
Institutes of Health (NIH). The administrative actions, including 
supervision for a period of four (4) years, were implemented beginning 
on August 18, 2023, and are detailed below.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sheila Garrity, JD, MPH, MBA, 
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:
    Surangi (Suranji) Jayawardena, Ph.D., University of Alabama in 
Huntsville: Based on the report of an investigation conducted by UAH, 
an admission by Respondent, and additional analysis conducted by ORI in 
its oversight review, ORI found that Surangi (Suranji) Jayawardena, 
Ph.D., who was an Assistant Professor of Chemistry, UAH, engaged in 
research misconduct in grant applications submitted for PHS funds, 
specifically R21 AI154256, R21 AI152064, R21 AI149142, and R15 AI146978 
submitted to NIAID, NIH.
    ORI found that Respondent engaged in research misconduct by 
intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly falsifying and/or fabricating 
data in twelve (12) figure panels in the following four (4) NIH grant 
applications:
    <bullet> R21 AI154256, ``Designing artificial glycoforms to inhibit 
binding of Clostridioides difficile flagellin to TLR5,'' submitted to 
NIAID, NIH, on October 16, 2019, withdrawn on November 5, 2019
    <bullet> R21 AI152064, ``Multivalent glycoconjugates to inhibit 
binding of Clostridioides difficile flagella to TLR5,'' submitted to 
NIAID, NIH, on June 14, 2019, administratively withdrawn on November 1, 
2021
    <bullet> R21 AI149142, ``Rapid Low-cost Diagnostics Assay for 
Mycobacteria through Magnetic Concentration,'' submitted to NIAID, NIH, 
on February 15, 2019, administratively withdrawn on July 1, 2021
    <bullet> R15 AI146978, ``BACTERIA HOMING-IN GLYCAN SENSING,'' 
submitted to NIAID, NIH, on October 25, 2018, administratively 
withdrawn on March 1, 2021

[[Page 60467]]

    Specifically, ORI found that Respondent intentionally, knowingly, 
or recklessly falsified and/or fabricated the following image data by 
reusing data from the same source and falsely relabeling the data as 
representing different experimental conditions with antibiotic 
particles or bacteria:
    <bullet> Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images of:

--(left) NeuNAc-AuNPs and (middle) enlarged image showing binding of 
NeuNAc-AuNP binding to flagella and (right) Man-AuNPs in Figure 1b of 
R21 AI152064
--(left) NeuNAc-[60]fullerene and (middle) enlarged image showing 
binding of NeuNAc-[60]fullerene binding to flagella and (right) Man-
[60]fullerene in Figure 1e of R21 AI154256

    <bullet> photos of the formation of magnetic precipitate in a 
microcentrifuge tube representing:

--CSL3-magSNPs binding Pseudomonas aeruginosa in Figure 3a of R15 
AI146978
--ConA-mag beads binding Mycobacterium bovis in Figure 2A of R21 
AI149142
    <bullet> photos of the lack of magnetic precipitate in a 
microcentrifuge tube representing CSL3 magSNPs remaining in solution in 
the presence of:

--Staphylococcus aureus in Figure 3b of R15 AI146978
--Mycobacteria smegmatis in Figure 3d of R15 AI146978
    Additionally, Respondent reported the following images that were 
falsely relabeled to represent different bacterial experimental 
conditions:
    <bullet> photos of the formation of magnetic precipitate in a 
microcentrifuge tube representing:

--lectin or antibody treated magnetic beads binding Mycobacterium bovis 
in Figures 2A, 2B, and 2C of R21 AI149142

    Respondent entered into a Voluntary Settlement Agreement 
(Agreement) and voluntarily agreed to the following:
    (1) Respondent will have her research supervised for a period of 
four (4) years beginning on August 18, 2023 (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 four (4) 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 her 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 her participation was not proposed on a research project 
for which an application for PHS support was submitted and that she has 
not participated in any capacity in PHS-supported research.
    (5) During the Supervision Period, Respondent will exclude herself 
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: August 29, 2023.
Sheila Garrity,
Director, Office of Research Integrity, Office of the Assistant 
Secretary for Health.
[FR Doc. 2023-18954 Filed 8-31-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4150-31-P