Disgraced cloning scientist flees to Thailand

(AFP)

18 September 2007

SEOUL - Disgraced South Korean cloning scientist Hwang Woo-Suk has fled to Thailand to escape controversy and continue his research, associates said on Tuesday.

Hwang and some 10 other researchers have been in Thailand for two months, focusing on research into the cloning of pet animals and the production of stemcells that could be used for cell treatment, they said.

snip

khaleejtimes.com

Disgraced cloning scientist flees to Thailand

(AFP)

18 September 2007

SEOUL - Disgraced South Korean cloning scientist Hwang Woo-Suk has fled to Thailand to escape controversy and continue his research, associates said on Tuesday.

Hwang and some 10 other researchers have been in Thailand for two months, focusing on research into the cloning of pet animals and the production of stemcells that could be used for cell treatment, they said.

snip

khaleejtimes.com

I wonder where he is researchg as he must need pretty good facilities.

Two things, 1} Thailand is rapidly becoming a Stem Cell centre with minimal oversight. 2} if he hadn't been so intent on fabricating his cloning results, he might have noticed that he'd coaxed unfertilised eggs into dividing, a methodology that could lead to 'ethical' stem cells.

'What is so interesting is they did this by mistake," said Dr George Daley, whose analysis appears in the journal Cell Stem Cell. "They didn't really know what they had. If they had identified this as a parthenogenetic stem cell... it would have been very exciting.'

The process, known has parthenogensis, is basically asexual reproduction, some insects and reptiles do it, but no mammals are known to do it. Scientists have pursued it for years as a potential way to derive embryonic stem cells that are genetically matched to the egg donor {and may also be less ethically troublesome}.

Regards

LINK

/edit add link to Independent news item//

Two things, 1} Thailand is rapidly becoming a Stem Cell centre with minimal oversight. 2} if he hadn't been so intent on fabricating his cloning results, he might have noticed that he'd coaxed unfertilised eggs into dividing, a methodology that could lead to 'ethical' stem cells.

'What is so interesting is they did this by mistake," said Dr George Daley, whose analysis appears in the journal Cell Stem Cell. "They didn't really know what they had. If they had identified this as a parthenogenetic stem cell... it would have been very exciting.'

The process, known has parthenogensis, is basically asexual reproduction, some insects and reptiles do it, but no mammals are known to do it. Scientists have pursued it for years as a potential way to derive embryonic stem cells that are genetically matched to the egg donor {and may also be less ethically troublesome}.

Regards

/edit format//

I found this map quite interesting

http://www.mbbnet.umn.edu/scmap.html

This blog has more on it too

http://www.biopeer.com/biopeer/2006/04/thailand_joins_.html

Interesting it talks of of Thai mohters depositing cord blood in Singapore. The papers down here often have stories relating to treatment using this.

Two things, 1} Thailand is rapidly becoming a Stem Cell centre with minimal oversight. 2} if he hadn't been so intent on fabricating his cloning results, he might have noticed that he'd coaxed unfertilised eggs into dividing, a methodology that could lead to 'ethical' stem cells.

'What is so interesting is they did this by mistake," said Dr George Daley, whose analysis appears in the journal Cell Stem Cell. "They didn't really know what they had. If they had identified this as a parthenogenetic stem cell... it would have been very exciting.'

The process, known has parthenogensis, is basically asexual reproduction, some insects and reptiles do it, but no mammals are known to do it. Scientists have pursued it for years as a potential way to derive embryonic stem cells that are genetically matched to the egg donor {and may also be less ethically troublesome}.

Regards

LINK

/edit add link to Independent news item//

many people are against cloning ,but if they found a way to grow kidneys,hearts,liver etc and you needed one would you be opposed then ,i think not...........

'disgraced' and 'flees' bacause some religious nuts said so?

glad he didn't falsify any data .........................

Disgraced SKorean cloning scientist relocates research base to Thailand

The Associated PressPublished: September 19, 2007

SEOUL, South Korea: Disgraced cloning scientist Hwang Woo-suk has relocated his research base to Thailand to avoid the ethical disputes his work would cause in South Korea, a scientist close to Hwang said Wednesday.

Hwang and some 10 associates have been working at a national university laboratory in the southeast Asian country since June, said Park Se-pill, a Cheju National University professor and well-known stem cell scientist.

Park declined to further identify the university, but added that the school is providing active support for Hwang.

Hwang stays in Thailand for about 2-3 weeks at a time and comes to Seoul to handle other affairs, Park said, adding that he often communicates with Hwang.

snip

iht.com

I don't remember exactly, but I believe his troubles were involved with ethical behaviour towards human test subjects (something about using some of his grad students as knowing or unknowing guinea pigs) and I think he may indeed have misrepresented his research in some significant manner.

"S"