FINDINGS OF SCIENTIFIC MISCONDUCT

Release Date:  September 15, 1998

P.T.

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:

Benjamin S. Pender, Medical University of South Carolina:  Based upon a report
from the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), information obtained by the
Office of Research Integrity (ORI) during its oversight review, and Mr. Pender's
own admission, ORI found that Mr. Pender, former graduate student, Medical
Science Training Program, MUSC, engaged in scientific misconduct in biomedical
research supported by a grant from the National Institute of General Medical
Sciences (NIGMS), National Institutes of Health (NIH).  Mr. Pender cooperated
with MUSC's investigation.

Specifically, Mr. Pender presented to the MUSC Shock Research Group (1) a blank
autoradiographic film, which he represented to be a Northern blot, as evidence
that he had conducted an experiment that he had not done, and (2) a photographic
slide representing a Western blot analysis that he had falsified by using a
computer to duplicate two sets of bands to misrepresent oligonucleotide
treatments at different times and by misrepresenting the identities of two bands
in one of the sets.  Also, Mr. Pender falsified data from experiments with
thromboxane B2 and tumor necrosis factor alpha that were published and
distributed in an abstract entitled "Antisense Oligonucleotide to G Protein
Inhibits Endotoxin Stimulated Thromboxane (Tx) B2 production" (Supplement to
Shock 7:20, 1997).  This data also was reported as Figure 4 of a submitted but
unpublished and withdrawn manuscript and in the Progress Report for an NIH grant.

Mr. Pender has accepted the ORI finding and has entered into a Voluntary
Exclusion Agreement with ORI in which he has voluntarily agreed, for the three
year period beginning July 31, 1998:

(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 CFR Part 76 (Debarment Regulations);
and

(2) 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.

No scientific publications were required to be corrected as part of this
Agreement.  The abstract was withdrawn before presentation.

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

Return to Volume Index

Return to NIH Guide Main Index

	Office of Extramural Research (OER)			National Institutes of Health (NIH) 9000 Rockville Pike Bethesda, Maryland 20892			Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)