Korean stem cell expert faces investigation into faked data
One of the world's leading cloning experts, Woo-Suk Hwang from Seoul National University, is facing an investigation after colleagues accused him of faking data for his most recent, high-profile research report. In June in the US journal Science, Dr Hwang reported creating bespoke stem cells that could potentially be used to repair damaged tissue in the patients they were created for. However, a co-author of that study, Roh Sung-il, recently told Korea's MBC television that nine of the embryonic stem cell lines Dr Hwang claimed to have cloned were faked, while the authenticity of two other lines was unknown. Dr Sung-il, chairman of the board at Miz Medi Hospital in Seoul, claims that Dr Hwang pressurised a former scientist in his laboratory to falsify data in order to make it appear that there were 11 stem cell lines. Dr Sung-il also claims that Dr Hwang told him on 15 December that 'there were no embryonic stem cells' left in the lab as the colonies had since died. The senior author of the Science report in question, Gerald Schatten from the University of Pittsburgh, has asked the journal to remove his name from the paper, citing question marks over its authenticity, and urged the other authors to retract the report. The University of Pittsburgh has begun an investigation into the research, and the editors of Science say that they will wait to see the outcome before taking any action. 'We've requested clarification from Dr Hwang on all of the allegations, but as far as I know we have not received any response,' said a spokesperson for Science. South Korea's President Roh Moo-hyun, meanwhile, called for caution regarding the allegations made against Dr Hwang. 'Let's watch the situation,' said a spokesperson.
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South Korea, United States