Cloning expert under cloud

2005-11-23 13:05

Seoul - South Korea's cloning pioneer Hwang Woo-Suk came under increasing pressure on Wednesday to answer ethical questions following more revelations concerning the origin of human eggs used in his landmark research.

A member of Hwang's team admitted on Monday that he had paid thousands of dollars for some of the ova used by the professor in his quest to become the first man to clone a human embryo.

Separate allegations that Hwang's team received eggs from his own junior researchers were reinforced on Tuesday when a South Korean television station said it had evidence supporting the charges.

Seoul-based MBC television disclosed medical records and testimony from witnesses it said proved that human eggs Hwang had used for his research leading up to a major scientific breakthrough last year included eggs donated by at least one of his junior researchers.

The Chosun Ilbo, South Korea's largest circulation newspaper, said in a report on Wednesday that two junior researchers in Hwang's team had donated eggs in 2003.

Denying any wrongdoing

Hwang has denied any wrongdoing so far but has promised that he would answer the charges against him at an appropriate time. Hwang's office said he would make a statement and answer questions at a press conference on Thursday.

Ethical problems concerning Hwang's research have circulated in the scientific community for months. But they were forced into the open earlier this month when Gerald Schatten, a prominent researcher at the University of Pittsburgh, ended his 20-month collaboration with Hwang.

He cited the South Korean researcher's alleged ethical breaches and lies about how he obtained the eggs.

Schatten raised the issue of one of Hwang's junior researchers having donated eggs for the project.

Initially, the South Korean media defended Hwang against attacks from foreign researchers who were said to be jealous of South Korea's pioneering position in stem cell research.

Public perception changing

The mood is slowly changing and public opinion has apparently cooled to Hwang, until now a widely admired national hero.

"Such donations are strictly prohibited because of the possibility underlings could be coerced to donate eggs," the English-language newspaper Korea Times acknowledged in an editorial on Wednesday.

It said Hwang "is obliged to reveal his position on" the allegations.

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.

In August this year, Hwang's team won plaudits around the world by presenting the world's first cloned dog.

Stem cells refer to master cells found in embryos and other areas of the body that can develop into cells of any organ. They could have a valuable therapeutic use in treating illnesses from cancer to Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, according to experts.

- AFP