FINDINGS OF SCIENTIFIC MISCONDUCT 

NIH GUIDE, Volume 26, Number 30, September 5, 1997

 

P.T. 34



Keywords:

  Ethics/Values in Science & Technol 

  Grants Administration/Policy+ 

 

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

cases:

 

Jill A. London, Ph.D., University of Connecticut Health Center:

Based upon a report from the University of Connecticut Health Center

as well as information obtained by the Office of Research Integrity

(ORI) during its oversight review, ORI found that Dr. London, former

Assistant Professor, Department of Biostructure and Function, School

of Dental Medicine, University of Connecticut Health Center, engaged

in scientific misconduct by intentionally falsifying data in

conjunction with applying for and reporting research supported by the

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) and

the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders

(NIDCD), National Institutes of Health (NIH).

 

Specifically, ORI found that Dr. London~s grant applications and

articles contained numerous falsifications, including

 

(1) Figures 6, 7, and 8 in a paper (London, J.A. & Cohen, L.B.  ~High

time resolution, multi-site optical measurement of vertebrate

somatosensory cortex during epileptiform discharges and vertebrate

gustatory cortex.~  Optical Methods in Neurobiology, pp. 61-78,

1988.) prepared for the 11th Annual Meeting of the European

Neuroscience Association (hereafter referred to as the European

Neuroscience paper) that cited support by NINDS, NIH grants R01

NS08437 and P01 NS16993;

 

(2) Figure 1A in a paper (London, J.A., ~Optical recording of

activity in the hamster gustatory cortex elicited by electrical

stimulation of the tongue.~  Chemical Senses 15:137-143, 1990.) that

cited support by NINDS, NIH grants R01 NS08437 and P01 NS16993;

Figure 1A was found to be very similar or identical to Figure 7 of

the European Neuroscience paper in #1 above;

 

(3) Figures 10 to 13 in grant application 2 P50 DC00168-14,

~Connecticut Chemosensory Clinical Research Center,~ submitted to

NIDCD, NIH on January 28, 1994; these figures also appear as Figures

4 to 7 in grant application 2 P50 DC00168-14A1, submitted to NIDCD,

NIH on September 28, 1994;

 

(4) Figures 2, 8, and 9 in grant application 1 R01 DC01752-01,

~Optical recording of hamster gustatory cortex activity,~ submitted

to NIDCD, NIH on January 29, 1992; these figures were the same as

Figures 11, 12, and 13, respectively, in grant application 2 P50

DC00168-14 (see #3 above);

 

(5) figures supplied for Figures 1 and 3 in grant application 1 F32

NS09601-01, ~Modular response patterns in hamster gustatory cortex,~

submitted to NINDS, NIH on August 3, 1993; these figures were the

same as Figures 10 and 11, respectively, in grant application 2 P50

DC00168-14 (see #3 above);

 

(6) Figure 3 of a handout that Dr. London provided during an NIH site

visit on April 25, 1994, conducted in conjunction with the review of

grant application 2 P50 DC00168-14; the top and bottom portions of

Figure 3 of the site visit handout were very similar or identical to

Figures 6 and 7, respectively, of the European Neuroscience paper

(see #1 above), and approximately 115 of the 125 traces appearing in

each of the figures showed identities, with one or two ~active~

traces being identical;

 

(7) Figures 1, 2, and 3 in a paper (London, J.A. & Wehby, R.G.

~Classification of inhibitory responses of hamster gustatory cortex.~

Brain Research 666:270-274, 1994.) that cited support by NIDCD, NIH

grants P50 DC00168 and T32 DC00025; and

 

(8) nine figures included in a manuscript (London, J.A. & Wehby, R.G.

~Excitatory neural responses in the hamster gustatory cortex.~

Submitted to Brain Research, 1996.) that cited support by NIDCD, NIH

grants P50 DC00168 and T32 DC00025.

 

Dr. London has accepted the ORI finding and has entered into a

Voluntary Exclusion Agreement with ORI in which she has voluntarily

agreed, for a period of five (5) years, beginning August 8, 1997:

 

(1) to exclude herself 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); and

 

(2) to exclude herself 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.

 

Dr. London is required to submit a letter to

 

o  Chemical Senses requesting a retraction of the following article:

London, J.A.  ~Optical recording of activity in the hamster gustatory

cortex elicited by electrical stimulation of the tongue.~  Chemical

Senses 15:137-143, 1990;

 

o  Brain Research requesting a retraction of the following article:

London, J.A., & Wehby, R.G.  ~Classification of inhibitory responses

of the hamster gustatory cortex.~  Brain Research 666:270-274, 1994;

and

 

o  Optical Methods in Neurobiology requesting a retraction of Section

V, Results -- Hamster of the following article:  London, J.A., &

Cohen, L.B.  ~High time resolution, multi-site optical measurement of

vertebrate somatosensory cortex during epileptiform discharges and

vertebrate gustatory cortex.~  Optical Methods in Neurobiology, pp.

61-78, 1988, prepared for the 11th Annual Meeting of the European

Neuroscience Association.

 

Shoushu Jiao, M.D., University of Wisconsin:  Based upon reports from

the University of Wisconsin as well as information obtained by the

Office of Research Integrity (ORI) during its oversight review, ORI

found that Dr. Jiao, former Research Associate, Department of

Pediatrics, University of Wisconsin, engaged in scientific misconduct

by falsifying and creating laboratory records while conducting

biomedical research.  The data in these records were reported in a

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS),

National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant application to support a

request for Public Health Service (PHS) funding.  Based on the

factual findings in the reports, the following article has been

retracted:  Jiao, S., Gurevich, V., & Wolff, J.A.  ~Long-term

correction of rat model of Parkinson~s disease by gene therapy.~

Nature 362:450-453, 1993.

 

Dr. Jiao has entered into a Voluntary Exclusion Agreement with ORI in

which he has voluntarily agreed:

 

(1) 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 August 8, 1997.

 

(2) 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 three (3)

years, beginning on August 8, 1997; and

 

(3) that any institution that submits an application for PHS support

for a research project on which Dr. Jiao~s participation is proposed,

uses him in any capacity on PHS supported research, or 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 for a period of one (1) year following

the three (3) year exclusion.  The supervisory plan must be designed

to ensure the scientific integrity of Dr. Jiao~s research

contribution.  The institution also must submit a copy of the

supervisory plan to ORI.

 

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

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