Johannesburg

Tuesday

Widely scattered tstorms. More sun than clouds. Warm.

12°C
29°C

7 day forecasts

Cloning expert resigns

2005-11-24 10:39

Hwang Woo-suk publicly apologised for ethics lapses, admitting two female scientists in his lab donated their own eggs for research, in a setback for the work that has raised hopes worldwide. (Lee Jin-man, AP)

Galleries   ·   User Galleries   ·   News in Pictures Send us your pictures  ·  Send us your stories

Seoul - South Korean cloning pioneer Hwang Woo-Suk resigned on Thursday after admitting that two junior researchers in his team had donated eggs and that other women had received money for eggs used in his landmark research on human embryos.

"I feel so sorry to speak about such shameful and miserable things to you people," he said in his first public comments on a scandal that has been brewing for months concerning the origin of ova used in his research.

"I again sincerely apologise for having caused concern at home and abroad."

Hwang said he was resigning all his official posts including the chairmanship of a new research body, the World Stem Cell Hub, established last month to produce stem cell lines here.

"As of today I am resigning from the chairmanship of the World Stem Cell Hub and all other official responsibilities I held at government and social organisations," he said.

"This is my way of seeking repentance."

Government back Hwang

The South Korean government said on Thursday that Hwang had done no wrong despite receiving ova from junior researchers and other women who received payments.

"There were no breaches of legal or ethical standards in the course of obtaining human eggs for the research," said a spokesperson for the ministry of health and welfare.

Hwang and his team at Seoul National University made headlines in February 2004 when they announced the first-ever cloning of human embryos, from which they harvested "therapeutic" embryonic stem cells. This year they unveiled the world's first cloned dog.

But ethical questions came to the fore this month when Gerald Schatten, a prominent researcher at the University of Pittsburgh, severed a 20-month collaboration with Hwang, citing ethical breaches.

- AFP

inside news24

Latest comment in Sci-Tech

@Laranara says... Have you ever lost a parent or loved one to cancer? Like Carmy says, as long as the animals are not suffering, the scientists should keep looking for cures. Read the article...

Cpt: 14-18°C Light rain. More clouds than sun. Mild. Pta: 15-31°C A few showers. More sun than clouds. Warm.
Jhb: 12-29°C Widely scattered tstorms. More sun than clouds. Warm. Bloem: 11-27°C High level clouds. Pleasantly warm.
Dbn: 18-25°C Light rain. More clouds than sun. Mild. PE: 14-23°C Morning clouds. Mild.
7 day forecasts...
Western Cape Eastern Cape Kwazulu Natal Gauteng

Midrand - 14:42:45 PM Earlier accident between New Road and the Allandale Road exit has been cleared More traffic reports...

Here are the winning Lotto numbers from the Saturday, November 7 draw.

18, 24, 25, 31, 35, 42 Bonus 38

Lotto plus: 4, 14, 17, 20, 21, 34 Bonus 3

SMS the word Lotto to 31222 to get lotto numbers sent directly to your phone. The service costs just R10 per month. 
More lotto numbers...

Jobs - Find your dream job

Financial Manager

Gauteng - Johannesburg
Network Finance Menlyn
R450,000-5000,000 Per Month

MANAGER: SOFTWARE INFRASTRUCTURE

Western Cape - Cape Town
Quiglies Solutions

Financial Manager

Gauteng - Johannesburg
Pinpoint One Human Resources (Pty) Ltd
R30,000-35,000 Per Month Cost To Company

Cars - Search 1000's of new and used cars

AUDI

2008 A4 1.8T Multitronics from R 269 000

Property - Find a new home

BRITS

Single Residential R1,400,000

EASTCLIFF

Single Residential R5,400,000

HERITAGE HILL

Vacant Land R2,400,000

Travel - Look, Book, Go!

Free Games - TOO MUCH NEWS? TAKE A BREAK!