GOVERNMENT & POLICY
TOtilWIIIH* BY SUSAN R. MORRISSEY file researcher mean the end for this fledgling field? No, and I think the public will agree. After all, as those in the field believe, the promise for cures and therapies is just too great. Hwang's actions are a "violation of an individual's character, not a violation of the technology," says William M. Caldwell, N THE SPAN OF A FEW MONTHS, WOO prove procedures for detecting research chief executive officer at Advanced Cell Suk Hwang has gone from a scientist misconduct. Technology. He explains that the underlyrespected for his pioneering work in The retraction and the events leading up ing technology is being used throughout the stem cell research to one who is guilty to it have drawn attention to a field that is world and Hwang's work was just the first of scientific and ethical misconduct. An already walking a tightrope in balancing to extend it into humans. investigation ofthe Seoul National University scientific progress with ethical boundaries. (SNU) professor found that he fabricated the Caldwell compares this situation with Adding a serious case of scientific misconcontents of two seminal research papers in the recent troubles with Enron, where the duct to the mix has the potential to tip the the stem cell field. actions of a few individuals were a violation scales and stop the progress of research in of their character and not an indictment of The two papers at issue appeared in Sci- this area in its tracks, particularly if the pubthe capitalist system. As with the Enron ence (2005,308,1777; and 2004,303,1669). lic pulls its support for the work. case, the Korean situation will be only a blip The more recent paper, which was the initial The loss of public support "would be on the radar and will not have a significant focus of the investigation, reported the first the greatest tragedy," says Andrew Cohn, impact on the science, he adds. successful derivation ofpatient-specific stem government and public relations manager cell lines from cloned embryos. This work In fact, Caldwell notes that his company at the Wisconsin Alumni Research Founbuilt on the group's 2004 report showing was doing studies similar to the Hwang dation (WARF). "The potential for stem for the first time that viable stem cells could team's in the early 2000s but switched focell research to have a dramatic and lastbe derived from a cloned embryo. cus when Hwang's 2004 paper came out. ing impact on human health is real, but the Hwang's work began to unravel last z Now that the Korean work is being I retracted, Caldwell says his company fall when Gerald Schatten, a professor 5 may reopen those studies. at the University of Pittsburgh Medical =5 "We, like others, are looking at Center and coauthor of the 2005 paper, x returning to this line of research," severed his ties to Hwang and raised < Caldwell says. "This work needs to questions about the ethical conduct in be validated so that there is no misoocyte collection by the South Korean understanding" that the technology team. (Donor oocytes are a necessary is sound, he explains. material for somatic cell nuclear transfer, or cloning.) It wasn't long before the Hwang's actions will have repercusethical concerns gave way to allegations sions for South Korea, which was using from other Korean researchers of outthe research to stake out a position in rightfraud,prompting an investigation the geopolitical and geoeconomic landby SNU into Hwang's work. scape. Caldwell notes that the refuting of Hwang's work is a "huge embarrassIn the final report issued last week, ment" for the country. "The geopolitithe investigation committee found no cal implications of Hwang's disclosures evidence to support the claims made by are going to be felt for some time in Hwang in either Science paper. AccordKorea," he points out. ing to the report, data supporting all of the 11 reported patient-specific derived The situation also opens the door stem cell lines from the 2005 paper and for other countries that have been the stem cell line reported to have been trying to catch up with South Korea, derived from a cloned embryo from the which, as Caldwell says, "has been per2004 paper were completely fabricat- MISLEADING Hwang's scientific misconduct and ceived as having an insurmountable ed. The committee did, however, find ethical breaches have cost him his reputation. lead in this area." Researchers in the evidence to support Hwang's report of U.S. are well-positioned to capitalize a dog cloned from somatic cells. on this shake-up. research must continue for this promise to In response to the committee's findIn the end, researchers who cut corners, be fully realized," he explains. W A R F is ings, Science has announced that it will a private, not-for-profit organization that both ethically and scientifically, will be retract both the 2 0 0 4 and 2005 papers. exposed. Hopefully, Hwang's transgressupports stem cell research and holds key A statement from the journal notes that sions will not derail the promise of stem patents in this area. a systematic review is under way to imcell research. But should the actions of one high-pro-
FRAUD & CONSEQUENCES
Stem cell research community is shocked by findings that landmark work by South Korean was a con
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