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Tests to Prove Whether Hwang Cloned Cells

Posted on: Friday, 23 December 2005, 15:00 CST

By BURT HERMAN

SEOUL, South Korea - New DNA test results expected within days will prove whether disgraced South Korean scientist Hwang Woo-suk ever cloned stem cells as he claimed in a landmark research paper, a university panel said Friday, labeling the deception a blow to all science.

Those tests also should determine whether Hwang created the world's first cloned human embryo and the only cloned dog as he asserted in research that kindled worldwide optimism of revolutionary cures for diseases.

The Seoul National University panel said Hwang had forged DNA tests supporting his May article in the journal Science, in which he claimed to create cloned stem cells matched to 11 patients. The panel said nine of the 11 stem-cell lines were faked.

"This kind of error is a grave act that damages the foundation of science," the panel said.

Hwang, a veterinarian who first rose to international fame last year, resigned his university position Friday.

"I sincerely apologize to the people for creating a shock and disappointment," he said. "With an apologetic heart ... I step down as professor."

But he maintained that his work would be vindicated.

"I stress that patient-specific stem cells belong to South Korea and you are going to see this," Hwang told reporters as he left his office.

Hwang's work came under serious question last month after University of Pittsburgh scientist Gerald Schatten withdrew his collaboration with the South Korean, citing questionable ethics practices. Hwang later revealed he had used eggs from female scientists at his lab, violating international ethics guidelines, and apologized - admitting he had earlier lied about the issue.

But Hwang's downfall accelerated last week after a South Korean doctor who provided eggs for the research said nine of the 11 stem cells mentioned in the Science article were faked and questioned the validity of the other two.

A university panel formed to examine Hwang's research hastened its work - leading to its initial findings of falsified DNA test results.

To create DNA results for the article, Hwang's team split cells from one patient into two test tubes for analysis - rather than actually match cloned cells to a patient's original cells, the university said.

The data in the paper "cannot be some error from a simple mistake, but can only be seen as a deliberate fabrication."

"There is no way but that Professor Hwang has been involved," the university's dean of research affairs, Roe Jung-hye, told a news conference, adding that Hwang "somewhat admits to this."

The claim of patient-matched stem cells was seen by scientists as a key step to creating tailored therapies for paralysis and hard-to-treat diseases like diabetes and Parkinson's, and even rejection-resistant replacement organs.

In light of the revelations, the panel said it now would investigate Hwang's other landmark research, including a 2004 Science article on the world's first cloned human embryos and an August 2005 paper in the journal Nature on the cloned dog.

The journals already are reviewing the work.

The South Korean government, which had strongly supported Hwang and designated him the country's first "top scientist" earlier this year, said Friday it was "distressed" by the university's findings and will start its own probe over ethics breaches.

Choi Seong-sik, vice minister of science and technology, said it's impossible to recover the nearly $40 million already spent on research and facilities for Hwang since 1998. But his ministry will look at halting pending funding and withdraw the "top scientist" designation.

Hwang asked Science to withdraw the May paper last week, citing "fatal errors." He claimed to have created only some of the 11 stem-cell colonies at the time of publication, completing the work later.

The university panel said Friday it found no records of two of the other stem-cell lines Hwang claims to have created. Four others died from contamination and another three were in the nurturing stage and had not yet become full stem-cell lines.

Hwang's article this year also was viewed as significant for his efficiency in cloning the stem-cell lines, saying just 185 human eggs were used to create custom-made embryonic stem cells for the 11 patients.

But Roe said the investigation "found that there have been a lot more eggs used than were reported," although the exact number was being determined.

The scandal also cast a shadow over an international stem-cell project, dubbed the World Stem Cell Hub, that Hwang headed before resigning.

On Friday, Sung Sang-cheol, the head of Seoul National University Hospital, where the hub is located, said the center would continue working but might be reorganized or renamed.

Source: Associated Press/AP Online

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