Research into a lung cancer discovery that was hailed as a ‘breakthrough’ but later resulted in the scientist’s resignation, has been officially branded as false, federal officials say.

The finding, which is published today in a Office of Research Integrity, comes several years – and multiple investigations later – into the work of Anil Potti, M.D., the former cancer researcher at Duke University who became embroiled in controversy following a supposed cancer discovery that had been hailed as a breakthrough.

The report found that Dr. Potti had “engaged in research misconduct by including false research data” in his work. Specifically, it found that the researcher had submitted false data to obtain further grants for his research.

The case surrounded a study by Dr. Potti, which was published first in the journal Nature Medicine, and then in several prestigious others. In the studies, he claimed he had found a “genetic fingerprint” that could be used to distinguish which lung cancer patients were likely to benefit from chemotherapy.

As lung cancer is among the most deadly forms of the disease, such a discovery could revolutionize treatment, and Dr. Potti’s research was hailed as such. However, his claims soon began to unravel, and he resigned from Duke in 2010.

The high profile case was also the subject of a CBS “60 Minutes” show, as well as a medical malpractice suit brought against the university, which has since been settled.