S Korea cloning pioneer disgraced
A cloning pioneer regarded as a hero in his South Korean homeland has resigned and apologised for using human eggs from his own researchers.
Professor Hwang Woo-suk was chairman of the World Stem Cell Hub, which opened this month, based in Seoul.
"I am very sorry that I have to tell the public words that are too shameful and horrible," he announced publicly.
International medical standards warn against using eggs from researchers who may be vulnerable to pressure.
However, the health ministry in Seoul insists that he is not guilty of any moral or legal wrongdoing, as the eggs were given voluntarily, without the professor`s knowledge, and before South Korea introduced a bioethics law in January.
Dr Hwang, 52, gained worldwide fame after producing the world`s first cloned human embryos and stem cells tailored to be used on individuals.
Human cloning science offers the possibility that stem cells harvested from cloned embryos could be used to treat diseases like Parkinson`s, diabetes and heart disease.
Dr Hwang`s breakthrough was seen as particularly important as the stem cells he created were a perfect match for the patient, which could mean treatments without the risk of the body rejecting them.
However, opponents argue that creating and experimenting with human embryos is unethical.
Paid for eggs
Earlier this month Gerald Schatten, a prominent American colleague of Dr Hwang, broke off their collaboration saying he was concerned by the way the group procured human eggs.
When the medical journal Nature pressed Dr Hwang in 2004 about the origin of the eggs, he denied they had been donated by his own researchers.
At a press conference on Thursday he admitted he had not told the truth.
Dr Hwang said when two women on his team offered their own eggs he turned them down.
Later, the women donated their eggs under false names, without his permission.
When asked about this he investigated, and was told about the provenance of the eggs, but lied to Nature because of a "strong request by the researchers to protect their privacy", he said.
South Korea`s health ministry also admitted that other women were paid thousands of dollars for their eggs, though this took place without Dr Hwang`s knowledge and before a new law outlawed trading in human eggs.
The professor said he was resigning from all public posts, including his chairmanship of the World Stem Cell Hub, which is designed to produce stem cell lines for disease research worldwide.
"It is my way of seeking repentance," he said.
BBC
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