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U.S. Stem Cell Researcher Pulls Out of S. Korea Deal NewsMax.com Wires PITTSBURGH -- A University of Pittsburgh researcher has pulled out of a partnership with a South Korean stem-cell research team, citing concerns over ethical practices in obtaining donated eggs for the team's groundbreaking research. Gerald Schatten, director of the Pittsburgh Development Center and a medical school professor, said in a statement released by the school Saturday that he is ending the 20-month collaboration with the team led by cloning pioneer Hwang Woo-Suk. He cited reports last year in the scientific journals Science and Nature, which raised a number of ethical questions, including allegations that one of the co-authors of the team's research was among those who donated eggs. "My decision is grounded solely on concerns regarding oocyte donations in Dr. Hwang's research reported in 2004," Schatten said in a statement, adding that he still believes the team's work constitutes "landmark discoveries accelerating biomedical research." Hwang, who could not be reached for comment in South Korea on Sunday, has denied allegations of ethical impropriety, saying the researcher in question had actually said she would be willing to donate eggs for research to other groups. Story Continues Below
Schatten said that "regrettably, yesterday information came to my attention suggesting that misrepresentations might have occurred" on the egg donations. He said the nature of the information mandated confidentiality, but he had contacted academic and regulatory agencies and suspended collaboration with Hwang. Hwang garnered worldwide attention after announcing last year that his team had cloned the world's first human embryos and extracted stem cells from them. In May, he announced he had created the world's first embryonic stem cells that genetically match injured or sick patients - a major step in the quest to grow patients' own replacement tissue to treat diseases. Hwang is a national hero in South Korea for his groundbreaking work that has also attracted worldwide attention. South Korea's government has embraced the research, and Hwang is able to operate freely without any widespread criticism in the country about the ethics of his experiments. The World Stem Cell Hub, led by Hwang, opened Oct. 19 with the aim of serving as the main center for providing scientists around the world with embryonic stem cells, master cells that can grow into all kinds of tissues in the body and are seen as a potential source of replacement tissue for people with a variety of ailments. The center said Nov. 1, the first day it accepted applications from patients, that it had received 3,500 responses through the Internet or by phone, fax or in person. The journal Nature reported that the use of a co-author as an egg donor raised questions of whether she profited from the arrangement. The journal also quoted bioethicists as saying that there should be an arms-length relationship between a research group and the donors in order to avoid any hint of coercion. © 2005 Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Editor's note: Read more on this subject in related Hot Topics:
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