NIH Guide: FINDINGS OF SCIENTIFIC MISCONDUCT


FINDINGS OF SCIENTIFIC MISCONDUCT

NIH Guide, Volume 26, Number 33, October 3, 1997

Department of Health and Human Services

Notice is hereby given that the Office of Research Integrity (ORI) has made a
final finding of scientific misconduct in the following case:

Xiaomin Shang, Ph.D., University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center:  Based
upon a report from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center,
information obtained by the Office of Research Integrity (ORI) during its
oversight review, and Dr. Shang's own admission, ORI found that Dr. Shang, a
former postdoctoral fellow student in the Department of Obstetrics and
Gynecology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, engaged in
scientific misconduct arising out of certain biomedical research supported by a
training grant from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
(NICHD), National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Specifically, Dr. Shang fabricated a chemiluminescent film of a Western blot by
using a physical mask to alter the prior results showing lack of antibody
specificity to a human steroid metabolizing isozyme, rather than replicating an
experiment as requested by his mentor.  The fabricated data were not published.

Dr. Shang has accepted the ORI finding and has entered into a Voluntary Exclusion
Agreement with ORI in which he has voluntarily agreed, for the three (3) year
period beginning September 29, 1997:

(1) to exclude himself from serving in any advisory capacity to the Public Health
Service (PHS), including but not limited to service on any PHS advisory
committee, board, and/or peer review committee, or as a consultant; and

(2) that any institution that submits an application for PHS support for a
research project on which Dr. Shang's participation is proposed or which uses him
in any capacity on PHS supported research or that submits a report of PHS-funded
research in which he is involved must concurrently submit a plan for supervision
of his duties to the funding agency for approval.  The supervisory plan must be
designed to ensure the scientific integrity of Dr. Shang's research contribution. 
The institution also must submit a copy of the supervisory plan to ORI.

No scientific publications were required to be corrected as part of this
Agreement.

INQUIRIES

For further information contact:

Acting Director, Division of Research Investigations
Office of Research Integrity
5515 Security Lane, Suite 700
Rockville, MD  20852
Telephone:  (301) 443-5330
	Office of Extramural Research (OER)			National Institutes of Health (NIH) 9000 Rockville Pike Bethesda, Maryland 20892			Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)