[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 12 (Tuesday, January 20, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2707-2708]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-00802]


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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:
    Bin Kang, Ph.D., Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation: Based on the 
Respondent's admission, an assessment conducted by the Oklahoma Medical 
Research Foundation (OMRF), and additional analysis conducted by ORI in 
its oversight review, ORI found that Dr. Bin Kang, Postdoctoral Fellow, 
Immunobiology and Cancer Research Program, OMRF, engaged in research 
misconduct in research supported by National Institute of Allergy and 
Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institutes of Health (NIH), 
grants AI056129 and AI104057.
    ORI and OMRF found that Respondent engaged in research misconduct 
by reporting falsified data in:
    <bullet> ``Asb2 regulates the activity of SCF E3 ubiquitin ligases 
by antagonizing CAND1-mediated exchange of F-box proteins,'' submitted 
to Molecular Cell on June 26, 2014; hereafter referred to as the 
``original Molecular Cell manuscript''

[[Page 2708]]

    <bullet> the revised version of ``Asb2 regulates the activity of 
SCF E3 ubiquitin ligases by antagonizing CAND1-mediated exchange of F-
box proteins,'' submitted to Molecular Cell on September 29, 2014; 
hereafter referred to as the ``revised Molecular Cell manuscript
    <bullet> grant application CA189216-01 submitted to the National 
Cancer Institute (NCI), NIH; hereafter referred to as the ``original 
NCI grant application''
    <bullet> grant application CA189216-01A1 submitted to NCI, NIH; 
hereafter referred to as the ``revised NCI grant application''
    ORI found that Respondent knowingly falsified and/or fabricated 
Western blot gel images by duplication, reuse and relabeling, and/or 
alteration through contrast, rotation, and/or scale of the images.
    Specifically, Respondent included falsified images in all of the 
figures (Figures 1-6 and S1-5) in the original Molecular Cell 
manuscript, all of the figures (Figures 1-6 and S1-7) in the revised
    Molecular Cell manuscript, Figures 2-4, 9, and 11 in the original 
NCI grant application, and Figures 3-5, 10, and 11 in the revised NCI 
grant application.
    Dr. Kang has entered into a Voluntary Settlement Agreement 
(Agreement) and has voluntarily agreed for a period of three (3) years, 
beginning on December 23, 2014:
    (1) To have his research supervised; Respondent agreed to ensure 
that prior to the submission of an application for U.S. Public Health 
Service (PHS) support for a research project on which the Respondent's 
participation is proposed and prior to Respondent's participation in 
any capacity on PHS-supported research, the institution employing him 
must submit a plan for supervision of his duties to ORI for approval; 
the plan for supervision must be designed to ensure the scientific 
integrity of Respondent's research contribution; Respondent agreed that 
he will not participate in any PHS-supported research until such a 
supervision plan is submitted to and approved by ORI; Respondent agreed 
to maintain responsibility for compliance with the agreed upon plan for 
supervision;
    (2) that any institution employing him must 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; and
    (3) to exclude himself 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.

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. 2015-00802 Filed 1-16-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4150-31-P