Updated Dec.11,2005 21:45 KST

SNU Agrees to Investigate Hwang
A picture of stem cells published in the journal Science that some claim was fabricated. The image of stem cell no. 10 (right) matches the upper part of stem cell no. 5. Prof. Hwang Woo-suk has blamed a clerical error.
Seoul National University has decided to get to the bottom of controversy surrounding stem cell research by cloning pioneer Prof. Hwang Woo-suk. SNU on Sunday said Hwang telephoned Roe Jung-hye, the dean of SNU¡¯s Office of Research Affairs, to ask her for an investigation. An emergency meeting of the university¡¯s executive board accepted Hwang's request, with the scope of the investigation and procedures to be announced at an 11 a.m. press conference on Monday.

The World Stem Cell Hub run by Hwang's team has decided to open itself up to other domestic research teams, and it also pledged to push ahead with a plan to clone 30 to 100 stem cells by the same method Hwang laid out in a paper in Science in May, and provide them to other interested researchers from next year.

Meanwhile, the New York Times quoted Arthur Levine, dean of the University of Pittsburgh¡¯s Medical School, as suggesting a collaboration between his own university¡¯s investigative team and the SNU team. Pittsburgh launched an independent inquiry last week. Levine said given that all pertinent data are in Seoul, Pittsburgh¡¯s team alone may not be in a position to investigate the matter fully.

Hwang¡¯s move shows a new determination by researchers to confront head-on doubts cast on their research by the MBC investigative program ¡°PD Diary,¡± parts of the media and some academics.

On Saturday, the online newspaper Pressian published excerpts from an interview between ¡°PD Diary¡± journalists and a former member of Hwang¡¯s team. Choi Jin-yong, the head of MBC¡¯s Current Affairs and Documentaries Department confirmed the transcript of the interview with Kim Sun-jong, the researcher now working at the University of Pittsburgh, was accurate.

In the recording, Kim says he took 11 pictures of only two stem cells for submission to Science on instructions from Hwang. Kim insinuates it is highly likely that nobody was aware of the fact except for Hwang and his close collaborator Prof. Kang Sung-keun.

MBC held an emergency meeting following publication. Since there had been no decision whether to air the recordings the broadcaster has admitted were obtained by strong-arm methods, the meeting decided to wait and see.

(englishnews@chosun.com )


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