The Hwang Fiasco

from the January 03, 2006 eNews issue

Woo-Suk Hwang, a South Korean scientist, was proclaimed a genius after a series of remarkable breakthroughs in the field of stem cell research. In May 2005, Hwang and his team announced that they had become the first scientists in the world to successfully clone a human embryo for scientific research. In August, Hwang announced that he successfully cloned a dog. The dog, an Afghan Hound named Snuppy, was the first successful male dog cloned from adult cells by somatic nuclear cell transfer. As a result of his groundbreaking success in the field of stem cell research, Hwang was appointed to head the new World Stem Cell Hub, a facility that was to be the world's leading stem cell research centre. The South Korean government even created a postage stamp in his honor, depicting a figure leaping out of a wheelchair.

The controversy surrounding Hwang's research began in November 2005 when Gerald Schatten, a University of Pittsburgh researcher who had worked with Hwang for two years, made a surprise announcement that he ceased his collaboration with Hwang. This annoucement was followed by accusations of ethical violations and scientific misconduct. An official probe was conducted to investigate the allegations. On December 23, it was announced that Hwang had intentionally fabricated his stem cell research results. At least 9 of the 11 stem cell lines were faked and the authenticity of the remaining two had yet to be determined.

Wesley J. Smith, a senior fellow at the Discovery Institute and a special consultant to the Center for Bioethics and Culture, wrote the following in the January 2 issue of the Weekly Standard: "Hwang's implosion leaves the field of human cloning research in a state of meltdown. Their poster boy is at best a liar, at worst a fraud and a charlatan who never created human clones at all."

Many scientists believe that embryonic stem cell research will result in miracle cures to some of our most devastating diseases, but there are still many moral and scientific hurdles to overcome. Fortunately embryos are not the only source of stem cells, stem cells are also found in adult tissue, and treating diseases with adult stem cells may be a better alternative to using embryonic stem cells. Adult stem cell and related tissue therapies are already being used to treat disease. Experiments are currently underway to treat conditions such as heart disease, multiple sclerosis, corneal injury, spinal injury, and Parkinson's disease using stem cells from adult tissue.

Woo-Suk Hwang's deception, humiliation, and subsequent resignation cast a dark shadow over the field of embryonic research. What effect will these events have on the future of embryonic stem cell and cloning research? That remains unclear. Some say very little. Despite this setback, advocates of cloning and embryonic stem cell research among the press, the public, and the scientific community remain resolute. The controversy over cloning, genetic engineering, and embryonic stem cell research is likely to persist in the coming years, and will continue to challenge our society with questions for which there are no simple answers.