Notice2024-21016
Findings of Research Misconduct
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
September 17, 2024
Issuing agencies
Health and Human Services Department
Abstract
Findings of research misconduct have been made against Arunoday K. Bhan, Ph.D. (Respondent), who was formerly a Research Fellow, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital (BCH), Harvard Medical School (HMS), and a former Staff Scientist, Department of Surgery, City of Hope Medical Center (COH). Respondent 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), grant T32 HL066987. The questioned research was included in two grant applications submitted for PHS funds, specifically R03 CA270990-01 and R21 CA272364-01 submitted to the National Cancer Institute (NCI), NIH. The administrative actions, including supervision for a period of four (4) years, were implemented beginning on August 21, 2024, and are detailed below.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 180 (Tuesday, September 17, 2024)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 180 (Tuesday, September 17, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 76121-76123]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-21016]
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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
Arunoday K. Bhan, Ph.D. (Respondent), who was formerly a Research
Fellow, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital (BCH),
Harvard
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Medical School (HMS), and a former Staff Scientist, Department of
Surgery, City of Hope Medical Center (COH). Respondent 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), grant T32 HL066987. The
questioned research was included in two grant applications submitted
for PHS funds, specifically R03 CA270990-01 and R21 CA272364-01
submitted to the National Cancer Institute (NCI), NIH. The
administrative actions, including supervision for a period of four (4)
years, were implemented beginning on August 21, 2024, 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:
Arunoday K. Bhan, Ph.D., Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard
Medical School and City of Hope Medical Center: Based on the report of
an investigation conducted by HMS and COH and additional analysis
conducted by ORI in its oversight review, ORI found that Dr. Arunoday
K. Bhan (Respondent), former Research Fellow, Department of Pediatrics,
BCH, HMS, and a former Staff Scientist, Department of Surgery, COH,
engaged in research misconduct in research supported by PHS funds,
specifically NHLBI, NIH, grant T32 HL066987. The questioned research
was included in two (2) grant applications submitted for PHS funds,
specifically R03 CA270990-01 and R21 CA272364-01 submitted to the
National Cancer Institute (NCI), NIH.
ORI found that Respondent engaged in research misconduct by
intentionally and knowingly falsifying, fabricating, and/or
plagiarizing data in the following one (1) published paper and two (2)
grant applications:
<bullet> Human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived platelets
loaded with lapatinib effectively target HER2+ breast cancer metastasis
to the brain. Sci Rep. 2021 Oct 15;11(1):16866. doi: 10.1038/s41598-
021-96351-2 (hereafter referred to as Sci Rep. 2021). Retraction in:
Sci Rep. 2024 Mar 12;14(1):5972. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-56291-z.
<bullet> R03 CA270990-01, ``Human induced pluripotent stem cell
derived platelets and platelet derived extracellular vesicles mediated
delivery of chemotherapeutics for breast to brain metastasis
treatment,'' submitted to NCI, NIH, on June 15, 2021 (hereafter
referred to as R03 CA270990-01).
<bullet> R21 CA272364-01, ``Off-the-shelf engineered human induced
pluripotent stem cell derived platelets mediated delivery of HER2
inhibitors for HER2+ Breast to brain metastasis tumors immunotherapy,''
submitted to NCI, NIH, on September 29, 2021 (hereafter referred to as
R21 CA272364-01).
Specifically, ORI found that Respondent intentionally and knowingly
falsified, fabricated, and/or plagiarized:
<bullet> Figure 2D of Sci Rep. 2021, Figure 4A of R03 CA270990-01,
and Figure 4A of R21 CA272364-01 by relabeling the transmission
electron microscopy (TEM) image as Lapatinib-loaded platelet derived
from the commercially available human induced pluripotent stem cell
(hiPSC) line DF-19-9-7T when it was actually from a non-drug loaded
platelet derived from a human donor sample, without appropriate
citation to the researcher who generated the image
<bullet> Supplementary Figure SIB of Sci Rep. 2021 by relabeling
the fluorescence microcopy images as from a culture of the hiPSC line
DF-19-9-7T when these were actually from a derivative of the hiPSC line
1157 .2, without appropriate citation to the researcher who generated
the image
<bullet> Supplementary Figure SlE of Sci Rep. 2021 by relabeling
the TEM image as from a megakaryocyte on day 6 of maturation obtained
directly by differentiation of the hiPSC line DF-19-9-7T when it was
actually from an immortalized megakaryocyte cell line (four days after
doxycycline-withdrawal induction of differentiation) previously derived
from hiPSC line 1156
<bullet> Supplementary Figure S1C of Sci Rep. 2021 by relabeling
the karyotype image as from the hiPSC line DF-19-9-7T when it was
actually from the hiPSC line 1156, without appropriate citation to the
researcher who generated the image
Respondent entered into a Voluntary Settlement Agreement
(Agreement) and voluntarily agreed to the following:
(1) Respondent will have his research supervised for a period of
four (4) years beginning with the effective date of the Agreement (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 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 and the PHS funding agency 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.
(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
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advisory committee, board, and/or peer review committee.
Dated: September 10, 2024.
Sheila Garrity,
Director, Office of Research Integrity, Office of the Assistant
Secretary for Health.
[FR Doc. 2024-21016 Filed 9-16-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4150-31-P
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