Stem Cell Research....

[Japanese]

SEOUL, South Korea (CNN) -- An expert panel from Seoul National University has said that South Korean researcher Hwang Woo-suk falsified results of nine of 11 stem cell lines he claimed to have created, casting more doubts on breakthrough claims he made in the U.S. journal Science in May.

The university, Hwang's employer, launched an investigation in November after ethics questions were raised.

In the first report from its probe, the nine-member panel said laboratory data for 11 stem cell lines actually came from only two stem cell lines.

The researchers said they were conducting DNA tests on the two to verify whether they are the patient-specific stem cells Hwang described in the article. The DNA results should be out in the next few days.

Hwang responded to the panel's findings by apologizing and resigning from his university.

"As a way of expressing just a fraction of how apologetic I feel about causing such immense shock and disappointment, I am resigning as professor of Seoul National University," Hwang said.

The South Korean research team, led by Hwang, announced in February 2004 that they had created human embryos through cloning, and extracted embryonic stem cells.

Stem cell research has been touted by scientists as a possible step toward finding cures for diseases and afflictions, including Alzheimer's.

Hwang first came under fire in November, when he admitted his team used eggs donated from junior scientists in his laboratory, a practice frowned upon because of coercion concerns.

Last Thursday, Roh Sung-il, a hospital administrator who had worked with Hwang, said the researcher admitted fabricating the results in the journal article. Roh also accused Hwang of contaminating the stem cell lines.

The next day, a colleague said Hwang's research was false, but Hwang countered, "Our research team did produce patient-specific embryonic stem cells and we have the original technology to produce them."

In response to criticism, Hwang did admit that six stem cell lines had been contaminated and destroyed, but said he was defrosting five other stem cell lines and could validate his earlier work.

Meanwhile, Hwang said he asked the journal to withdraw the article on the study, indicating it cannot be used for future research, and the U.S. co-author asked that his name be removed.
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[Angel]

Dr Hwang resigned last month from his main post as head of the World Stem Cell Hub in November, after it emerged that some of the eggs used in his research were donated by his staff - in contravention of international guidelines.