Hwang Woo Suk, the renowned South Korean scientist who has unveiled a series of breakthroughs on cloning and stem cells, was accused by collaborators Thursday of fabricating results in a key stem cell study published this year.
Roh Sung Il, the administrator of Seoul’s MizMedi Women’s Hospital, told South Korea’s MBC television that Hwang had admitted to him that some of the published research was faked.
The paper, published by the prestigious journal Science, purported to show the creation of 11 human embryo clones using DNA from injured or sick patients. According to the paper, the embryos were then used to create individualized stem cell lines, a breakthrough that offered the long-sought possibility of creating personalized stem cell therapies for anyone.
The research earned Hwang international acclaim, and scientists around the world flocked to his laboratory at Seoul National University to learn his techniques. The South Korean government agreed to bankroll his research with millions of dollars, and hundreds of women volunteered to contribute to his research by donating their eggs.
But Thursday night, an assistant dean at the university told the South Korean news media that nine of the 11 cell lines did not exist and that the validity of the two others is also in doubt.
“We can declare today a day of national infamy,” said the dean, Lee Wang Jae.
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Hwang has been hospitalized for stress over the past week. He declined to comment Thursday night, despite the increasing numbers of reporters camped out at the university’s hospital.
Roh, who helped obtain eggs for the research effort, also told MBC that Hwang said he intends to retract the 11-page paper, which was published in May.
No such request has yet been made, said Monica Bradford, Science’s executive editor in Washington. The journal sent Hwang an e-mail Thursday seeking clarification, she said.
The unraveling of Hwang’s achievement is a setback for those who had hoped his work would lead to cures for patients suffering from spinal-cord injuries, strokes and diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and diabetes.
It is also a deep embarrassment to South Korea, where Hwang is regarded as a national hero.
“If it’s true, it’s going to go down as probably the biggest scandal in science,” said Insoo Hyun, a bioethicist at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland who spent the summer in Hwang’s lab. “Even cold fusion didn’t get this worldwide attention.”
Hwang, 52, first rose to prominence in February 2004 when he published a paper describing the creation of the first human embryo clone using a technique called somatic cell nuclear transfer.
After several days, the embryo was destroyed to harvest stem cells, which are prized for their ability to become any type of cell in the body.
The first paper required 242 eggs to produce a single line of stem cells. The May study purported to show a marked increase in efficiency by creating 11 cell lines from only 185 eggs. It also appeared to show that the technology could work even if the egg and the genetic material came from different donors.
Though many have been trying, the work has yet to be replicated by other researchers.
Hwang previously attributed his success to the Korean custom of using metal chopsticks, which fosters the manual dexterity needed to carry out the delicate experiments. He is known for keeping his lab running seven days a week.
In another scientific coup, his research team in August unveiled the first cloned dog, a frisky Afghan puppy.
Even if it turns out that Hwang faked his results, advocates for stem cell research said they remain convinced that the techniques will help them study diseases and develop cures.
“I think it’s a matter of time and technology,” said Dr. Arnold Kriegstein, director of the Institute for Stem Cell and Tissue Biology at the University of California, San Francisco.