Seoul Bans Hwangs Stem Cell Research

The South Korean government Friday decided to disapprove a request by disgraced scientist Hwang Woo-suk to resume human stem cell research, dealing a blow to the cloning scientist's efforts to recover his honor after eing involved in a test fabrication scandal two years ago.

Hwang, once a national hero, has been on trial since 2006 on charges of fraud and violation of bioethics laws after his team was found in January 2006 to have fabricated laboratory test results to claim success in his study. He was dismissed by Seoul National University in the same year amid a global furor over his fabricated study results.

"We have decided not to approve the request by the Suam Biotechnology Institute (SBI) to begin research on human embryonic stem cells for medical treatment purposes," the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Family Affairs was quoted as saying in a statement. The SBI is a Seoul research lab Hwang opened in 2006.

"The decision was made as Hwang still stands on trial on charges that he violated the nation's bioethical laws and was fired from his school for paper fabrication and other unethical problems in obtaining eggs in relation to his research on stem cells in 2006," it added.

The ministry explained that it respected the opinion of the National Bioethics Committee, a presidential panel, which recently recommended that it not give the go-ahead for Hwang's stem cell research.

Hwang and his team have been continuing research on animal cloning over the past years. The scientist recently made headlines by announcing that he successfully made three genetically identical copies of a dog that died years before.

Scientists say that embryonic stem cells have the potential to develop into other kinds of cells that could possibly be used to treat chronic ailments such as heart failure, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.