http://news.scotsman.com/health.cfm?id=2243602005
Top stem-cell scientist 'used assistant's eggs'
EBEN HARRELL
THE world's leading stem-cell scientist has become embroiled in an ethics
scandal after it was alleged he used eggs from his assistant's ovaries for his
experiments.

Hwang Woo-suk, of South Korea, has been accused of using the young scientist's
eggs for his groundbreaking research.


If the accusations are true, he will have violated a widely held ethics code
that precludes people in positions of authority from accepting egg donations
from junior researchers.

On Sunday, Gerald Schatten, a researcher from the University of Pittsburgh in
the United States, ended a 20-month collaboration with Professor Hwang, citing
his partner's "unethical practices".

Eggs are typically donated by women through a process that requires a month-long
series of hormone injections followed by a minor, but not risk-free, surgical
procedure.

Prof Hwang and his team at Seoul National University made world headlines
earlier this year when they created stem cells with a patient's genetic
material, derived through cloned human embryos. The same researchers later
created Snuppy, the first clone of a dog.

Prof Hwang has since established ties with scientists across the globe,
including Ian Wilmut, who headed the Scottish team that cloned Dolly the sheep.
Dr Wilmut visited Prof Hwang in South Korea last December.

Yesterday, Prof Hwang defended his work. "All research up until now has been
conducted in strict observance of the government-set guidelines," he told a
conference in Seoul.

He didn't elaborate on the latest allegations, saying he would "divulge
everything" at an appropriate time.

He is a national hero in his home country, where the government has embraced his
research, and he is able to operate with little said about the ethics of his
experiments.

It is unclear whether South Korea will undertake sanctions against him if the
accusations prove true.

Prof Hwang recently opened the World Stem Cell Hub with the aim of providing
scientists around the world with "pluripotent" embryonic stem cells - master
cells that can grow into all kinds of tissues in the body and are seen as a
potential source of replacement tissue for people with a variety of ailments.

Earlier this month, thousands of patients applied to participate in his
research, hoping that the cloning technology would help overcome hard-to-treat
conditions such as Parkinson's disease or damaged spinal cords.

Related topic

a.. Cloning & stem cell research
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Last updated: 15-Nov-05 01:16 GMT

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