Dr. Anil Potti, an Indian American cancer researcher, has been cited for engaging in research misconduct after an investigation by Duke University, where he was working at the time, and the Office of Research Integrity, according to a report by Duke University’s “The Chronicle.”
Former Duke University School of Medicine associate professor Dr. Anil Potti, based on reports and investigations conducted by the school and ORI, was found to have performed the misconduct in research supported by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health and the National Cancer Institute and covered by several grants.
According to the ORI findings, Potti included false research data in a number of published papers.
In one grant, Potti claimed in his paper that six of 33 patients responded positively to a treatment when he actually only had four patients enrolled in the research. None of the four responded to the treatment. Potti additionally altered data sets to improve the accuracy of predictors for response to treatments. The altered data was submitted to Clinical Cancer Research. In 2008, he provided a file of falsified data to a colleague; and in 2010, he provided additional misleading data to the NCI, according to the Duke article.
In a number of publications which published Potti’s research, the information provided included false data. ORI reported that falsified Potti research data was published in eight journals between 2006 and 2009. As a result of the investigation, the papers have been retracted.
Potti and ORI have come to a voluntary settlement agreement, though the professor has never admitted or denied the findings of the misconduct. The settlement, while it is not an admission of guilt, is to conclude the investigation without further resources being spent to look into the matter.
The researcher, according to the Health and Human Research Department notice published Nov. 9, has not engaged in U.S. Public Health Service-supported research since 2010.
He, additionally, has stated he does not intend to engage in further PHS research, according to the research department notice.