NOT-OD-01-052: FINDINGS OF SCIENTIFIC MISCONDUCT

Department of Health
and Human Services (HHS)
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FINDINGS OF SCIENTIFIC MISCONDUCT

Release Date:  August 7, 2001

NOTICE:  NOT-OD-01-052

Department of Health and Human Services

Notice is hereby given that the Office of Research Integrity (ORI) and the 
Assistant Secretary for Health have taken final action in the following case:

Raghoottama S. Pandurangi, Ph.D., University of Missouri--Columbia (UMo):  
Based on the report of an investigation conducted by UMo and additional 
analysis conducted by ORI in its oversight review, the U.S. Public Health 
Service (PHS) found that Dr. Pandurangi, a former Research Assistant Professor 
at UMo, engaged in scientific misconduct by plagiarizing and falsifying 
research data taken from a journal article published by other scientists for 
use in supplementary materials of a research grant application submitted to 
the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Specifically, PHS finds that Dr. Pandurangi plagiarized the images of data in 
Figures 2A and 2B and related text in supplemental material he submitted in 
connection with National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), NIH, grant 
application 1 R01 HL62517-01A2,AMyocardial Viability by "II Receptor-99mTc 
Conjugates," in which he was the principal investigator.  Specifically, Figures 
2A and 2B and related text were plagiarized from Figures 7C and 7D of the 
following journal publication:  Gibson, R., Beauchamp, H., Fioravanti, C., 
Brenner, N., and Burns, H.D.  "Receptor Binding Radiotracers for the Angiotensin 
II Receptor:  Radioiodinated [Sar1, Ile8]Angiotensin II," Nuclear Medicine and 
Biology 21:593-600, 1994.

In addition, Dr. Pandurangi falsified the text in the supplement to his NIH 
grant application by claiming that Figures 2A and 2B represented a compound he 
had developed.  Namely, he claimed that Figure 2A represented radioionated 
compound 123I-2C and Figure 2B represented radioionated compound 123I-2C with 
nonradioactive compound 2C added as a competitor.  However, Figures 2A and 2B 
were plagiarized from the figures in the above Nuclear Medicine and Biology 
article, which in reality represented radiolabeled [Sar1, Ile8]Angiotensin II, 
with compound L-158-809 as a blocker/competitor.

Dr. Pandurangi has entered into a Voluntary Exclusion Agreement (Agreement) 
with PHS in which he has voluntarily agreed:

(1)  to exclude himself from any contracting or subcontracting with any agency 
of the United States Government and from eligibility for, or involvement in, 
nonprocurement transactions (e.g., grants and cooperative agreements) of the 
United States Government as defined in 45 C.F.R. Part 76 (Debarment 
Regulations) for a period of one (1) year, beginning on July 17, 2001,

(2)  that for an additional period of three (3) years following the one-year 
period of exclusion set forth above, any institution that submits an 
application for PHS support for a research project on which Dr. Pandurangi=s 
participation is proposed or which uses him in any capacity on PHS supported 
research, or which submits a report of PHS supported research in which Dr. 
Pandurangi is involved, must concurrently submit to PHS and ORI (a) a plan for 
supervision of his duties during the particular PHS supported project at 
issue, which must be designed to ensure the scientific integrity of his 
research contribution, and (b) a certification that the data provided by Dr. 
Pandurangi are based on actual experiments or are otherwise legitimately 
derived, and that the data, procedures, and methodology are accurately 
reported in the application or research project, and

(3)  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 for a period of four (4) 
years, beginning on July 17, 2001.

INQUIRIES

For further information contact:

Director
Division of Investigative Oversight
Office of Research Integrity
5515 Security Lane, Suite 700
Rockville, MD  20852
Telephone:  301- 443-5330
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