The disgraced cloning scientist Hwang Woo-suk and three suspected
co-conspirators were grilled by prosecutors on Thursday about their
role in faking headline-grabbing stem cell research results. The others
were Kim Sun-jong, a former researcher at the MizMedi Hospital, Prof.
Yoon Hyun-soo of Hanyang University and Lee Yang-han, an official at
the state-run National Institute of Scientific Investigation. Seoul Central District Prosecutors�� Office questioned Hwang to
discover whether he knew that DNA test results of stem cell no. 1
documented in a 2004 paper were fabricated and whether he himself was
involved. The stem cell, labeled NT-1, was used as evidence in the
discredited paper published in the U.S. journal Science that Hwang and
his team succeeded in growing stem cells from cloned embryos.
Prosecutors said they also wanted to know if Hwang was aware that
embryonic stem cells nos. 2 and 3 documented in another fraudulent
paper published the following year were in fact fertilized stem cells
left over at the MizMedi fertility clinic. In questioning Kim Sun-jong, prosecutors focused on Hwang��s
allegations that Kim swapped stem cells from cloned embryos Hwang
claims to have made with the MizMedi cells. They reportedly have
evidence that Kim had a key role in fabricating data. Yoon Hyun-soo and Lee Yang-han were grilled over their part in manipulating the DNA test results for the 2004 paper.
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Disgraced cloning scientist Hwang Woo-suk reports to the Seoul Central
Prosecutor��s Office to be questioned on Thursday morning. |
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The four presented themselves at the prosecutor��s office from 8:00 a.m.
in 20-minute intervals. Hwang briefly greeted reporters before facing
his interrogators. Prosecutors will reportedly announce interim investigation results next week.
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