Cloning Researcher Accused of Falsifying Evidence.(biological research)

Embryonic stem cell research proponents are reeling in the wake of allegations that their most prominent and celebrated researcher, South Korea's Hwang Woo-suk, fabricated evidence and violated fundamental scientific procedures, calling into question all of his reported breakthroughs that have provided some of the few "successes" in the field.

Hwang has admitted to lying about the source of human eggs used in his research, while experts are questioning his claims of creating the first stem cell lines from cloned embryos that genetically match their donors, the first cloned embryo, and the first cloned dog.

Hwang resigned as head of the World Stem Cell Hub and other government-funded stem cell research agencies November 24 after confirming that he used eggs donated by his research assistants, a violation of international research protocol.

The scandal has prompted some of the first negative reports about human cloning and embryo experimentation from the mainstream media. Accounts typically report any alleged "breakthroughs" in awe-filled tones, completely ignoring the immorality of creating designer human beings and then killing them for their stem cells.

The fall of an internationally known cloning researcher has shocked pro-cloning advocates, who attempted to distance themselves from Hwang while still touting the necessity for embryonic stem cell research. "Unfortunately, the damage Hwang did can't be undone," Robert Lanza of Advanced Cell Technology told the Washington Post. "It can't be undone for us, and it can't be undone for the thousands of people who may die in the future because this research has been unnecessarily held up while [Hwang] played his games and traveled around the world like a rock star."

A special panel convened by Seoul National University (SNU) to examine Hwang's research is expected to issue a final report around January 10. After that is completed, prosecutors say they will begin a criminal investigation into possible fraud or embezzlement charges, Korea Times reported. The national Bioethics Committee that advises South Korea's president is also investigating and plans to meet January 15, according to Korea Herald.

The allegations of fraud surround Hwang's May 2005 paper in the peer-reviewed journal Science, which concerned 11 stem cell lines culled from cloned embryos. The lines, Hwang and his co-authors claimed, matched the individual genetic make-up of the donors. This was said to show that the formerly theoretical notion of creating stem cells tailored to be used in individual patients was possible.