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S.Korean stem cell scientist apologizes on ethics

Posted on: Thursday, 24 November 2005, 03:00 CST

By Jon Herskovitz and Lee Jin-joo

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea's pioneering stem cell scientist apologized on Thursday that two members of his team had donated their egg cells for research, saying his rush to advance science may have clouded his ethical judgment.

Hwang Woo-suk, who became a hero in South Korea after major developments in cloning research, has been caught in a swirl of allegations over his work after a U.S. collaborator left the group, saying Hwang unethically procured human eggs.

Time magazine called Hwang's team's cloning of a dog the year's most amazing invention. Snuppy was the world's first cloned dog -- dogs are considered one of the most difficult animals to clone.

"Being too focused on scientific development, I may not have seen all the ethical issues related to my research," Hwang said.

He told a packed news conference he had become aware earlier this year that the researchers provided egg cells in 2002 and 2003, even though he had turned down their offers to do so.

"At the time technology was not as advanced as today and creating one stem cell line required oocytes (eggs). It was during this time when my researchers suggested making voluntary donations. I clearly turned it down," Hwang said.

Hwang said he could understand their way of thinking and said if he were a woman, he probably would have donated eggs.

Hwang also said he was stepping down as the head of a global stem cell hub, established only last month in South Korea.

"It is my way of seeking repentance," he said.

Hwang will continue his research, but said he was considering leaving once his work was finished.

"I again sincerely apologize for having stirred concern at home and abroad," he said.

South Korea's health ministry said prior to the news conference that there was nothing legally or ethically wrong at the time with the egg donations judged by South Korean standards.

Several countries consider the type of donation made by Hwang's researchers as a violation of medical ethics that hold a subordinate should not be morally coerced into collaborating.

GOVERNMENT PUSH

There were also questions about whether Hwang properly addressed the ova donations in collaboration with a foreign partner and an international scientific publication.

The ministry said in a report the women were not paid and were not coerced into donating ova.

Helped by government support and an absence of some of the red tape and ethical debate that has hampered research in countries such as the United States, South Korea is fast becoming a key center for stem cell research.

The government has commissioned stamps depicting the hopes for Hwang's research -- a man rising from a wheelchair and walking.

A specialist in bioethics at Seoul National University, where Hwang has his laboratory, said the government might be reluctant to point out ethical lapses and hurt South Korea's position in the field.

"The Ministry of Health and Welfare is placing too high a priority on the country's interest rather than international ethical standards," said Jin Kyo-hoon.

On Monday, a South Korean medical doctor previously working with Hwang said he had paid about 1.5 million won each to 20 women to procure human eggs for him.

Earlier this month, University of Pittsburgh researcher Gerald Schatten said he was leaving Hwang's team because he was concerned by the way the group procured human eggs.

"I hope this problem does not prevent us from making advances for science," Hwang said.

Hwang's team cloned the first human embryo for research and developed the first tailored embryonic stem cells.

Such advances could eventually lead to cures for suffering such as severe spinal cord injury, by taking skin from a patient to grow custom-made stem cells with that patient's specific genetic material.

Source: REUTERS

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