The former director of the X-ray crystallography lab at the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, faked findings in three papers, according to the Office of Research Integrity.
Two of the three papers by Bijan Ahvazi were published in 2004, and later retracted in 2007, while the other was rejected:
- Ahvazi, B., Boeshans, K.M., Idler, W., Baxa, U., & Steinert, P.M. “Structural basis for the coordinated regulation of transglutaminase 3 by guanine nucleotides and calcium/magnesium.”J. Biol. Chem. 279(8):7180-92, 2004 Feb 20 (cited 26 times, according to Thomson Scientific’s Web of Knowledge, and withdrawn)
- Ahvazi, B., Boeshans, K.M., & Steinert, P.M. “Crystal structure of transglutaminase 3 in complex with BMP: Structural basis for nucleotide specificity.”J. Biol. Chem. 279:26716-25, 2004 (cited 14 times, withdrawn)
- Ahvazi, B., Boeshans, K.M., Idler, W.,& Cooper, A.J.L. “Crystal structure of transglutaminase 3-cystamine complex: Binding of two cystamines to the nucleotide-binding pocket. M6:06060, Submitted to J. Biol. Chem., 2006 (rejected)
Ahvazi faked five images in the papers, according to the ORI. For example, in “Crystal structure of transglutaminase 3 in complex with BMP: Structural basis for nucleotide specificity,” he:
Falsely labeled Figure 3A in JBC 2004b representing an isothermal calorimetric titration (ITC) experiment using guanine monophosphate (GMP) and transglutaminase 3 (TGase 3) when the figure was actually a relabeled version of an unrelated experiment that Respondent previously published as Figure 1A in JBC 2004a [the other withdrawn JBC paper].
And he:
Falsified Figure 4B in JBC 2004b, by adding multiple data points to titration curves for four different concentrations of TGase 3 bound by different concentrations of tagged GTPγS and deleting two (2) outlying data points from one of the curves
PubPeer has three entries for papers by Ahvazi, including the two retracted papers and one from the Journal of Investigative Dermatology. The two retracted JBC papers are dedicated to co-author Peter Steinert, who died in 2003.
Ahvazi has agreed to have any of his federally-funded research supervised for two years, and not to serve on NIH peer review committees for the same length of time.
In private industry they are thrown out the door
I can’t find him anywhere anymore, so it looks like it is a non-punishment anyway.
Yes, Ed, I agree completely with you.
However, this is still rather lenient punishment for misuse of hard-earned public money.
I strongly suggest that in all cases when public money is misused (especially in academia), the party at fault should be held accountable for “fraud, attempted fraud and general dishonesty in obtaining gain from or causing a loss to a commonwealth entity”.
SIMPLE & FAIR !
There is an entry at Pubpeer from January 31st, 2014 9:03am UTC
https://pubpeer.com/publications/D4D91427690D30747F12E31CC662D1
Unregistered Submission: ( January 31st, 2014 9:03am UTC )
One possible course of action is that the NIH corrects, or retracts, problematic papers from its own ranks. For example, a string of problematic papers by the erstwhile chief of the Laboratory of Skin Biology at the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.
Second obituary on this page. http://nihrecord.od.nih.gov/newsletters/06_10_2003/obits.htm
The problematic publications:-
https://pubpeer.com/publications/9593710
https://pubpeer.com/publications/11022041
https://pubpeer.com/publications/11134075
https://pubpeer.com/publications/10644724
https://pubpeer.com/publications/11029054
https://pubpeer.com/publications/10722712
https://pubpeer.com/publications/9346937
Already retracted.
https://pubpeer.com/publications/15084592
Already retracted.
https://pubpeer.com/publications/14645372
Thank You again for your work Ivan. Reviewing the Federal Register Notice diigo.com/06mhlz : Following good research methods, sound research protocol practices (or, as we should call it: “Research”) is always “The Plan” for research to begin with. Not to mention, ROI on our biomedical research investments. http://researchintegrity.wordpress.com/2013/08/14/the-false-dichotomy-between-science-and-integrity-or-ignoring-the-weekly-research-team-meeting-with-the-principal-investigator/
It is also THE method for training researchers. The only “Mentor” is a PI and research team conducting sound research protocols every day http://www.slideshare.net/VHDavid
Does anyone have information on the chronology of this case? Did it really take 7 years to wind its way through the system?
Obituary in Washington Post.
http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-255614.html
NIH obituary is euphemistic.
Second obituary on this page. http://nihrecord.od.nih.gov/newsletters/06_10_2003/obits.htm