Dive Brief:
- Dr. Jun Fu, a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Neuro-Oncology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, falsified results of a preclinical study evaluating the effects of an oncologic compound co-developed by Novartis and Vernalis.
- Dr. Fu’s falsified results were published in Cancer Research on May 15, 2013.
- Dr. Fu’s work is funded by grants from the National Cancer Institute and the National Institutes of Health.
Dive Insight:
Dr. Fu’s research focused on the impact of the investigational compound NVP-HSP990 on glioblastoma tumors in mice. Dr. Fu’s overly optimistic results were published in the journal Cancer Research in May 2013, and were subsequently cited by other authors on at least two occasions.
As part of the disciplinary action against him, Dr. Fu's research will now be supervised for two years. In addition, he is not allowed to serve on any US Public Health advisory committees, or any board or peer-reviewed committees. The widespread view among members of the medical and research communities is that Dr. Fu was not sufficiently punished.