[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 227 (Tuesday, November 25, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 70187-70188]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-27813]


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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: Notice is hereby given that the Office of Research Integrity 
(ORI) has taken final action in the following case:
    Dr. Igor Dzhura, Vanderbilt University: Based on an inquiry 
conducted and admission obtained by Vanderbilt University (VU) and 
additional analysis conducted by ORI in its oversight review, ORI found 
that Dr. Igor Dzhura, former Senior Research Associate, Department of 
Biomedical Engineering, VU, 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 HL070250, R01 HL062494, P01 HL046681, and 
K08 HL03727, National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and 
Skin Diseases (NIAMS), NIH, grant R01 AR044864, National Institute of 
Mental Health (NIMH), NIH, grant R01 MH063232, National Institute of 
Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), NIH, grant U01 AI06223, and 
National Cancer Institute (NCI), NIH, grant U54 CA113007.
    ORI found that Respondent engaged in research misconduct by 
providing falsified and/or fabricated data to his supervisor and 
colleagues. Specifically, Respondent:

<bullet> Submitted falsified cytosolic calcium buffering experiments to 
his research supervisor by misrepresenting apparent action potential 
traces; these actually were fluorescent calcium transients merged with 
sodium calcium exchange currents from a different experiment; 
Respondent admitted to falsely claiming ten replicates for each trace 
when only testing three to five cells
<bullet> falsified sodium calcium exchange (NCX) activity in Very Long 
Chain Acid Dehydrogenase Deficient (VLCAD) mice versus wild type mice 
in a PowerPoint presentation by falsely labeling and manipulating NCX 
data from a different experiment testing an unrelated compound; the 
effect was to falsely claim a difference in NCX activity between the 
two mouse phenotypes
<bullet> provided a falsified Figure 6C in a manuscript submitted to 
Nature Cell Biology, while claiming that the data were based on 
Respondent's memory of his data that had purportedly been collected and 
lost; Respondent claimed to have tested one hundred fifty (150) cells 
for their action potential characteristics when the experimental record 
only accounted for approximately twenty (20).

    ORI found that Respondent engaged in research misconduct by 
falsifying and/or fabricating the research record of patch-clamp data. 
Specifically, Respondent:

<bullet> Created a hierarchy of computer folders containing duplicated 
and renamed files; the falsified groups of files included eighty-two 
(82) groups of duplicated files with each group containing two to 
twenty-one (2-21) duplicates, which made it appear that experiments 
were conducted when they were not
<bullet> used the falsified and/or fabricated data files in Figure 6 of 
a paper published in the American Journal of Physiology-Heart and 
Circulatory Physiology (292(5):H2202-H2211, 2007), to represent Ca+ 
currents in cardiac myocytes from CLCAD-/- mice; specifically, 
Respondent claimed that Figure 6 represented results from seven (7) 
mice when the data files were three (3) sets of duplicated and renamed 
files plus one additional data file. All of the data files were part of 
larger groups of identical duplicated and renamed data files on the 
Respondent's hard drive.

    ORI found that Respondent engaged in research misconduct by 
submitting and publishing multiple falsified and/or fabricated action 
potential traces and summary data in at least sixty-nine (69) images in 
twelve (12) different figures across seven (7) publications and three 
(3) grant applications by duplication and relabeling of traces; 
resizing, modifying, and splicing different traces; and modifying and/
or duplicating bar graphs.
    The evidence established that Respondent engaged in research 
misconduct, as defined by the PHS regulation, in that he significantly 
departed from accepted research practices by engaging in the 
intentional and knowing fabrication and falsification of data files.
    Dr. Dzhura has entered into a Voluntary Exclusion Agreement 
(Agreement) and has voluntarily agreed for a period of three (3) years, 
beginning on October 29, 2014:
    (1) To exclude himself from any contracting or subcontracting with 
any agency of the United States Government and from eligibility or 
involvement in nonprocurement programs of the United States Government 
referred to as ``covered transactions'' pursuant to HHS' Implementation 
(2 CFR part 376 et seq) of OMB Guidelines to Agencies on Governmentwide 
Debarment and Suspension, 2 CFR part 180 (collectively the ``Debarment 
Regulations'');

[[Page 70188]]

    (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; and
    (3) to retract or correct the following publications:

<bullet> Nature Cell Biology 2:173-177, 2000
<bullet> J. Physiol. 535(3):679-687, 2001
<bullet> Circulation 106:1288-1293, 2002
<bullet> J. Physiol. 545(2):399-406, 2002
<bullet> J. Physiol. 550(3):731-738, 2003
<bullet> FASEB J. 19:1573-1585, 2005
<bullet> Molecular Cell 23:641-650, 2006

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Acting Director, Office of Research 
Integrity, 1101 Wootton Parkway, Suite 750, Rockville, MD 20852, (240) 
453-8200.

Donald Wright,
Acting Director, Office of Research Integrity.
[FR Doc. 2014-27813 Filed 11-24-14; 8:45 am]
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