Stem cell claim dealt knockout blow

A South Korean panel dealt a devastating blow to discredited scientist Hwang Woo-suk yesterday, concluding his once-celebrated team provided no data to prove a claim they had produced tailored embryonic stem cells.

The findings deepened the disgrace of a man once heralded as a national hero for his pioneering work on stem cell and cloning research, who now faces possible criminal charges.

The panel will also review Dr Hwang's 2004 paper on creating the first cloned human embryos for research and a claim he produced the world's first cloned dog, an Afghan hound named Snuppy.

Dr Hwang did receive a bit of good news when a DNA lab in Seoul, which is not part of the panel's investigation, said its own tests indicated that Snuppy was an actual clone.

But that was the only upbeat news in an otherwise sombre day for the scientist.

"It is the panel's judgment that Dr Hwang's team does not have the scientific data to prove that they (patient-specific stem cells) were made," said Roe Jung-hye, chief of Seoul National University's research office.

The same investigation panel said last week that a 2005 paper produced by Dr Hwang's team contained data that was deliberately fabricated and had undermined the fundamentals of science.

It said the team may have produced only two stem cell lines, not 11 as the authors of the landmark paper had claimed.

Mr Roe told reporters the final two lines, which could have proved the fundamental findings of Dr Hwang's team, were not produced in Dr Hwang's lab but at a Seoul hospital.

"The findings of three labs showed the number two and number three stem cell lines that needed confirmation with regard to the 2005 paper did not match with patient tissue cells and were found to be fertilised-egg stem cells of MizMedi Hospital," Mr Roe said.

The news sent biotech shares lower on the Seoul bourse. The panel has asked three laboratories to conduct DNA tests on cells that were part of work by Dr Hwang's team to see if they were stem cell lines with DNA that matches that of the donors.

Dr Hwang has been in seclusion for almost a week and did not offer any comment to the media, but a key member of his team apologised yesterday in a letter to a local radio programme.

"I offer my sincere apology to patients and their families who had had hopes for a cure and supported our team's study," said Ahn Curie in her letter sent to Peace Broadcasting Centre and posted on the station's website.

"I had believed the stem cells existed until recently," said Ms Ahn, adding her role had been limited to exploring possible use of the cells but had nothing to do with creating them.

Experts say the stem cell case is fast developing into one of the biggest scientific frauds in recent history: the next questions will be how Dr Hwang's team was able to pull it off and exactly how many people were involved.

An official with the Seoul prosecutors' office said a criminal investigation will probably be launched after the university panel reaches a final conclusion in January.

"We will be looking into a number of complaints brought to us, including the question of whether there was a switch," the official said, referring to Dr Hwang's claim that someone had removed his stem cells and replaced them with fertilised cells.

Dr Hwang resigned from the university last week and apologised. But he has insisted that patient-tailored embryonic stem cells are South Korean technology and that would be confirmed.