By Kim Tae-gyu
Staff Reporter


Prof. Hwang Woo-suk, a pioneering genetic scientist at Seoul National University, Tuesday was dealt another accusation that he may have used eggs collected from one or more of his junior associates in his stem cell experiments.

In its investigative program, ``PD Notebook,’’ Tuesday, MBC television network claimed that it secured medical records to prove one of Hwang’s subordinate donated eggs.

``We obtained a data of Mizmedi Women’s Hospital where one of Hwang’s researchers had an operation to extract her eggs for the stem cell study,’’ MBC producer Choi Seong-ho said.

When contacted for the program, however, the unidentified female researcher refused to confirm whether she had donated her eggs for Hwang’s research, but only said ``Ask professor Hwang.’’

Mizmedi is a Seoul-based infertility clinic. Its head Roh Sung-il is one of three core members of Hwang’s team alongside professor Moon Shin-yong at Seoul National University.

``Roh, who has provided eggs to Hwang’s team, is also well aware of the donation but he has refused to comment on it,’’ Choi said.

Early this week, Roh told a press conference that he paid about 1.5 million won ($1,440) to each of the 20-plus egg donors without Hwang’s knowledge.

However, he refused to shed light on the most controversial issue _ the sources of eggs _ citing a doctor’s obligation not to disclose any data or information regarding patients.

Such doubts were first raised by professor Gerald Schatten at the University of Pittsburgh who severed 20-month collaboration with Hwang this month, claiming he learned Hwang did not abide by good practices on egg procurement.

Even if one of Hwang’s staff is really on the donors’ list, it would not be against the law because there were no relevant regulations here before the bioethics law went into the effect this January.

But it would deal a serious blow to the integrity of Hwang’s exploits _ cloning human embryos and harvesting stem cells from them for the first time in history.

Scientists generally believe that researchers are required to use only anonymous egg donors in order to prevent any possibility of coercion.

voc200@koreatimes.co.kr