Former Newton scientist agrees to pay $ 215,000 after misrepresentation claims on grant application

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Sam W. Lee agreed to pay $ 215,000 after being accused of misrepresenting a grant application to the National Institutes of Health.

The former Newton scientist, 67, held a dual post at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School between 2014 and 2017, according to Department of Justice documents.

The grant was for a study entitled Discoidin domain receptor family, member 1 kinase in DNA damage response and carcinogenesis. From March 1, 2015 to June 7, 2018, Massachusetts General Hospital also submitted claims to NIH under the Lees Grant.

The hospital separately reimbursed the NIH the full amount in a total amount of $ 939,495 that it withdrew from the grant, according to the Lees settlement agreement.

Acting US Attorney’s Office Nathaniel R. Mendells Says Lee included lab technicians who no longer worked with him, falsified the results of the experiments at least twice, and falsified a third study digit by flipping horizontally image and thus mislabelling the results in the application. .

The NIH grant application process relies on the scientific integrity, accuracy, and honesty of individual principal investigators, but instead Lee provided falsified results, inauthentic data and misrepresentation, Mendell said. Hitting the NIH wastes taxpayer dollars, limits the availability of funding for other research, and undermines the central purpose of scientific research.

When applying, scientists are required to provide signed assurance when submitting a grant application to NIH that certifies the veracity, completeness, and accuracy of the information contained in the application.

The NIH seeks to preserve and enhance the well-being of our communities by spending $ 35 billion of taxpayer dollars annually on medical research; in Massachusetts, more than $ 3 billion is spent each year, said Special Agent in Charge Phillip M. Coyne of the US Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General. Lees’ lack of truthfulness has defied the NIH grant application process that seeks to protect research dollars.

Lee agreed to pay the sum of $ 215,000, plus interest at the rate of 1.50% per annum, until the total was repaid. Lee, as part of the settlement, has agreed not to make or allow any public statement to be made that denies, directly or indirectly, any of the allegations or creates the impression that the allegation has no factual basis.

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