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Prof. Gerald Schatten of the
University of Pittsburgh has ended his 20-month collaboration in stem
cell research with Prof. Hwang Woo-suk and his team, citing ethical
concerns about the way human eggs were obtained for the project. In a
paper published in February last year, Prof. Hwang said he used 242 ova
donated by 16 women. They allegedly included a research assistant of
Hwang¡¯s, who was not in a good position to refuse a request from her
boss. It is common sense in bioengineering that occyte donation requires
free consent from women. If it turns out that a research assistant
really acted as a donor, which Hwang has denied, it could become an
international scandal. Prof. Hwang treads an explorer's untrodden path. Because most
of his research is unprecedented, there exist neither internationally
standardized procedures nor ethical provisions for him to go by. The
things that happen in such uncharted regions should not be allowed to
diminish the value of research by Hwang¡¯s team or invite moral
suspicions. The research paper in question was published in an American
science journal in February last year. Since then, Korea legislated a
bioethics law that went into effect this January. In another project
cloning stem cells that genetically match those of injured or sick
patients, which was published in May, the Hwang team disclosed the full
process to U.S. bioethics experts. Hwang should offer further
explanations wherever needed and solicit understanding if necessary. No scientific field is subject to more heated ethical debate
than stem cell research. It is therefore crucial that researchers do
everything they can to reduce room for dispute by ensuring maximum
transparency in the process of research and sticking with agreed
procedures. There is an urgent need for bioethics experts in Hwang¡¯s
team. Also, it may be worth studying the possibility of setting up a
special body that handles occyte donations, in the same way that a
special agency handles organ donations from brain-dead patients. The media, the government, civic organizations and businesses,
meanwhile, are called upon to ensure that Prof. Hwang can devote
himself solely to his research, without the extra burden they
constantly foist upon him.
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