Embattled cloning pioneer Prof. Hwang Woo-suk speaks at an emergency meeting at Seoul National University’s Veterinary College on Friday morning. SNU Academics Seek Verification of Hwang Research MBC Union Unrepentant Over Hwang Expose Hwang Team Pre-Empts SNU Bid to Verify Research Cloning Pioneer Visits Lab From Hospital Top Geneticists Call on Hwang to Help Confirm Findings U.S. Scientist Withdraws Name From Hwang Paper Hwang Scandal Splashed Across Global Front Pages SNU Sets Up Panel to Check Hwang Research Stem Cells Don’t Exist: Hwang Associate What Went Wrong in the Hwang Affair? Researcher Says Hwang Stem Cell Research Accurate Hwang Grilled as SNU Inquiry Gets Under Way Fresh Mixup Casts Doubt on Cloning Pioneer’s Research Widening SNU Probe Seals Off Hwang’s Lab Hwang Achievements Succumb to Domino Effect SNU Panel 'Close' to Finding if Hwang's Stem Cells Exist Schatten Requested US$200,000 for 'Effort' MBC Producer, Hospital Chief Grilled in Hwang Probe

But Hwang explained glaring discrepancies in documentation supporting the paper by saying the stem cells had probably been mixed up with stem cells stored at the MizMedi Hospital. The scientists added he would ask judicial authorities to investigate.

MizMedi Hospital chief Roh Sung-il, who on Thursday ignited a storm by claiming the patient-specific stem cells did not exist, stood by his claim and accused Hwang of trying to pass the buck. With the two erstwhile collaborators locked into a mutual blame game, the scientific world’s best hope for a resolution lies with the investigation panel Seoul National University set up on Friday.

The scientist said that there was “no doubt” that his team did clone tailored stem cells, though some of them were destroyed. “Six researchers confirmed the production of the 11 stem cells up to the last minute when we wrote the paper for Science,” he said. “We are now thawing five frozen stem cells we preserved for cross-checking, so the validity of our research will be confirmed in about 10 days,” he said.

But Hwang said he told Science he would retract the paper after gaining consent from all co-authors. “I decided to do so because, regardless of its validity, there were fatal errors, and a lack of proper management caused many problems,” he said. “But it is true that we have the source technology to produce embryonic stem cells.”

Speaking at a separate press conference later, Roh Sung-il said a researcher on Hwang’s team, Kim Seon-jong, told him that the results were fabricated and that Hwang and his SNU colleague Prof. Kang Sung-keun ordered Kim to fake them.

“Now he’s in a fix, Hwang is using Kim, a close associate, as a scapegoat for his unconscionable behavior,” Roh said. He claimed Hwang had asked Kim to come home from the U.S. by Dec. 27 and help him make embryonic stem cells.

(englishnews@chosun.com )