Notice Number: NOT-OD-14-116
Key Dates
Release Date: August 7, 2014
None
Issued by
Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS)
Purpose
Notice is hereby given that the Office of Research Integrity (ORI) has taken final action in the following case:
Jun Fu, Ph.D., University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center: Based on the Respondent's admission, the report of an inquiry conducted by the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (MDACC), and analysis conducted by ORI in its oversight review, ORI found that Dr. Jun Fu, former Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Neuro-Oncology, MDACC, engaged in research misconduct in research supported by National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Institutes of Health (NIH), grants CA56041 and CA127001.
The Respondent has admitted to knowingly and intentionally falsifying Figure 8a in the following publication:
"Novel HSP90 inhibitor NVP-HSP990 targets cell-cycle regulators to ablate Olig2-positive glioma tumor-initiating cells.' Cancer Res. 73(10):3062-74, 2013 May 15.
Specifically, the Respondent falsified survival times of mice to show that NVP-HSP990 prolonged survival rates in glioblastoma tumor bearing mice when experimental data were incomplete and unusable.
As a result of its inquiry, MDACC has recommended that the senior author of this paper take any appropriate steps with the journal to correct the scientific literature.
Dr. Fu has entered into a Voluntary Settlement Agreement (Agreement) and has voluntarily agreed for a period of two (2) years, beginning on July 15, 2014:
(1) To have his research supervised; Respondent agrees 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, Respondent shall ensure that a plan for supervision of Respondent's duties is submitted to ORI for approval; the supervision plan must be designed to ensure the scientific integrity of Respondent's research; Respondent agrees that he shall not participate in any PHS-supported research until such a supervision plan is submitted to and approved by ORI; Respondent agrees to maintain responsibility for compliance with the agreed upon supervision plan;
(2) that any institution employing him shall 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.Inquiries
Please direct all inquiries to:
Donald Wright, M.D., M.P.H.
Acting Director
Office of Research Integrity
1101 Wootton Parkway, Suite 750
Rockville, MD 20852
Telephone: 240-453-8800
and Human Services (HHS)
