Aggregated News
SEOUL, May 12 _ Hwang Woo Suk, the disgraced cloning expert, was indicted on fraud and embezzlement charges today, months after an investigative panel determined that he had fabricated evidence to prove that he had cloned human cells.
Prosecutors blamed the scandal, one of the most notorious cases of science fraud in recent years, on a combination of elements: a junior scientist who fabricated lab tests to please his boss, and Mr. Hwang himself, a charismatic head researcher who was blind to the scam but also ordered more fabrications to speed up the publication of his papers.
Junior researchers knew about the alleged wrongdoing but could not challenge Mr. Hwang, said a prosecutor, Lee In Kyu, during a nationally televised news conference. Five of Mr. Hwang's associates were also indicted.
Reconfirming the earlier findings by Hwang's school, Seoul National University, Mr. Lee said that Hwang had never cloned embryonic stem cells from patients. Mr. Hwang's now-discredited claim had raised hopes that doctors one day would grow genetically matching tissues from embryonic stem cells to repair damaged organs or treat diseases...
Prosecutors blamed the scandal, one of the most notorious cases of science fraud in recent years, on a combination of elements: a junior scientist who fabricated lab tests to please his boss, and Mr. Hwang himself, a charismatic head researcher who was blind to the scam but also ordered more fabrications to speed up the publication of his papers.
Junior researchers knew about the alleged wrongdoing but could not challenge Mr. Hwang, said a prosecutor, Lee In Kyu, during a nationally televised news conference. Five of Mr. Hwang's associates were also indicted.
Reconfirming the earlier findings by Hwang's school, Seoul National University, Mr. Lee said that Hwang had never cloned embryonic stem cells from patients. Mr. Hwang's now-discredited claim had raised hopes that doctors one day would grow genetically matching tissues from embryonic stem cells to repair damaged organs or treat diseases...