Panel To Investigate Scientist For Cloning Claims

collegetoad writes "A panel of scientists from the Seoul National University will investigate scientist Hwang Woo-suk on whether he committed fraud in claiming he had developed tailored embryonic stem cells. From the article: 'Hwang also said in a paper published in 2004 in the journal Nature, that he had cloned, for the first time, a human cell to provide a source of embryonic stem cells -- master cells that can provide a source of any type of tissue or cell in the body.'" We've reported on this previously.

Comments

Re:The benefits being..?

[ackthpt]

Why bother investigating? Anything this guy has ever written should be trashed.

What worries me most is anything he has said or done which casts doubt on his work or credibility will be ruthlessly employed by the opponents of Stem Cell Research, which will be of no actual good service to anymone except on a dogmatic approach.

And then they will go on to assert that their word is beyond reproach.

Re:Hopefully

[ackthpt]

Hopefully the panel will go out and actually try to reproduce his results rather than having a political debate of whether not it is. His business ethics are questionable, but if there is some truth to this then they should be able to follow a scientific method in order to prove or disprove the falsification of the findings.

2 cents, take at face value: South Korea has a significant Christian population, no idea on how conservative their leanings and what affiliation there may be to those of extreme Right To Life pursuasion. Source: CIA World Factbook

No

[everphilski]

Hopefully the panel will go out and actually try to reproduce his results rather than having a political debate of whether not it is.

No. FTA: it would issue its final findings next week ... doubt they are going to raise stem cell lines from human tissue in a week...

-everphilski-

Re:Hopefully

[deacon]

This whole story is old news by now.

First, the data is know to be fake. From this link:

http://news.pajamasmedia.com/world/2005/12/15/6683 762_Doctor_Cloning_P.shtml

Roh also told MBC television that Hwang had pressured a former scientist at his lab to fake data to make it look like there were 11 stem cell colonies.

In a separate report, a former researcher told MBC that Hwang ordered him to fabricate photos to make it appear there were 11 separate colonies from only three.

"This is something I shouldn't have done," said the researcher, who was identified only by his last name, Kim, and whose face was not shown. "I had no choice but to do it."

Second, from this link:

http://science.monstersandcritics.com/news/article _1073161.php/Disgraced_Korean_cloning_pioneer_pres sured_woman_colleague

It quoted the woman as saying she felt 'forced' to donate egg cells, having been told that if she did not do so her name would be removed from a research document published in 2004.

I hardly need to make editorial comment on these facts. Those without ethics will continue to insist nothing is wrong. Those of us with ethics shudder with revultion and hope the guy never works in a postition of authority again.

Re:The benefits being..?

[c_forq]

They are more devolped then embryonic, which is a good and bad thing (they can't become anything at this point, but that is partially good as embryonic cells can easily become tumors). They have proven useful in blood and marrow operations, and have started to show promise in other areas.
Linky:
http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/200411/kt200411261 7575710440.htm