Journal to retract Korean stem cell paper

WASHINGTON - The prestigious journal Science says it will retract a paper written by disgraced Korean stem cell researcher Hwang Woo-suk and colleagues, who are accused of faking part of a study on tailored embryonic stem cells.

Science said it had received permission from everyone named on the May 19, 2005, research paper to make the unusual move.

"To ensure that the wording of the retraction reflects the final conclusions of the Seoul National University (SNU) investigation, Science will finalise the retraction text and proceed with the final steps of the retraction process only after the SNU investigation is completed next week," the journal said in a statement.

"Science hopes this approach will yield a retraction that will convey accurately as much information as possible to the scientific community."

The scandal surrounding the Hwang team's paper has steadily built, with the team gradually admitting to a series of mistakes. They have been accused of outright fabrications and ethical missteps.

Science is one of the leading peer-reviewed journals and prides itself on subjecting research papers to scrutiny by other experts in the relevant fields. A retraction is rare because usually research is carefully checked before publication.

Hwang's work won credence because of the backing of the journal and it gained further weight when a leading US stem cell expert, Dr Gerald Schatten of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, lent his name to it.

Hwang was the first scientist to publish a paper showing, in 2004, that his team had actually cloned a human cell to provide a source of embryonic stem cells -- master cells that can provide a source of any type of tissue or cell in the body.

He followed this up with what appeared to be the first proof of the promise of so-called therapeutic cloning -- the creation of 11 separate batches or lines of stem cells taken from actual patients.

The idea is to eventually make tailored stem cells, cloned from patients, for medical study and perhaps to provide transplants for treating a range of conditions from juvenile diabetes to damaged spinal cords.

But colleagues accused Hwang of fabricating the research and of coercing female subordinates into donating their eggs for experiments.

Hwang denied he falsified anything deliberately and has been quoted as saying enemies are working to discredit him. He has been in seclusion since he resigned from Seoul National University on December 23.

Scientific papers are meant to be written in such a way that other researchers can try to repeat the findings themselves, and are supposed to supply evidence that can be checked.

His team also reported they had cloned a dog last year, and the journal Nature, which published that paper, is checking the report's authenticity.

DNA tests will reveal whether a batch of stem cells have been cloned from a person or have some other source. Other stem cell experts have recommended having a lab outside Seoul National University do the testing.

Stem cell researchers say the scandal has damaged their field, already controversial because some people consider using or making human embryos for such experiments to be tantamount to murder.

South Korea had prided itself on leading the field while US politicians debate whether to fund or even to allow such research.

- REUTERS