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Prof. Gerald Schatten of the University of Pittsburgh demanded to share
a patent for stem cell cloning technology developed by geneticist Hwang
Woo-suk and his team, press reports said Monday. Hwang and his team
deny the report. Schatten recently ended his collaboration with Hwang
citing ethical flaws in occyte procurement for an earlier project. The U.S edition of the JoongAng Ilbo reported Monday that Schatten
demanded 50 percent of the patent for technology cloning tailored stem
cells for terminally ill patients early last month. He also asked Hwang
to give him the chairmanship of the World Stem Cell Foundation and to
allow several U.S scientists to sit on the foundation¡¯s board. The
paper said Hwang rejected the request, saying the stem cell research
was a national asset and he was not in a position to give out stakes in
the patent. However, Prof. Lee Byung-choen, a member of Hwang¡¯s team, said
he heard of no such demand and Hwang did not mention it. Government
officials involved in the research also said they had no knowledge of
it. Prior to this week¡¯s Cabinet meeting Tuesday, Science and
Technology Minister Oh Myung told reporters he had not been briefed
about the demand and Prof. Hwang did not discuss the issue with the
government. Health and Welfare Minister Kim Geun-tae and presidential
policy aide Kim Byung-jun also denied knowledge of the demand. Wang Sang-ha of Seogang University, Seoul National University
Hospital¡¯s legal adviser, said Schatten made the demand while
discussing the establishment of a stem cell hub network in the U.S.
with Hwang. He confirmed Lee had no knowledge of the U.S professor¡¯s
request. Another member of Hwang¡¯s team said Schatten did not make the
demand officially. ¡°We intend to maintain good relations with Prof.
Schatten for international joint stem cell research,¡± he said. ¡°We are
embarrassed by the report since it gives the impression we took issue
with Prof. Schatten¡¯s demand to put the blame on him.¡± The most likely interpretation is that Schatten did informally
ask for a share of the patent but Hwang did not officially discuss the
issue with his team and the government. Schatten has not commented on
the allegation. (englishnews@chosun.com )
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