S. Korea conditionally lifts ban on stem cell research

(ATTN: UPDATES with more details from para 2)
SEOUL, April 29 (Yonhap) -- South Korea conditionally lifted its three-year-old
ban on somatic stem cell research on Wednesday, paving the way for scientists to
resume experiments that could open new horizons for the treatment of various
disabilities.

The decision allows Cha Medical Center to conduct research involving somatic or
adult stem cell cloning if it abides by four preconditions, a presidential
committee on bioethics said.
The committee called on the hospital to make clear that research will primarily
be conducted on lab animals to reduce use of human ovum, with an independent
Institutional Review Board to be set up to check for possible abuse and ethics
violations.
It also ordered the removal of all references claiming that stem cell research
could lead to cures as that would give false hope to people and to seek renewed
permission from donors who previously pledged to donate their ovum for testing.
A further condition imposed orders on the hospital to halt work when a single
embryonic stem cell line is created, with resumption of research to be allowed
only after gaining clearance for future ovum use.
Committee members stressed that while it has given permission, Cha can only begin
research if it has satisfied the above pre-conditions.
They said that the decision will be forwarded to the Ministry for Health, Welfare
and Family Affairs, which will review any research proposals forwarded by the
hospital and give final consent.
The ministry said that if there are no hurdles, research on stem cells could
resume in mid May. The move could allow South Korea to join the race to fully
develop stem cell research that scientists say could allow doctors to treat
spinal cord injuries, heart disease and other illnesses.
If authorization is given, the hospital, which has an extensive fertility clinic
and a stem cell institute, will effectively be allowed to conduct research that
was banned in March 2006 after disgraced cloning expert Hwang Woo-suk was found
to have faked test results.
The former Seoul National University professor is currently on trial on charges
of fraud and violating bioethics laws. He and his team have been accused of using
fabricated data to claim a breakthrough in stem cell research that grabbed
international attention. Hwang has seeking permission to resume research through
Suam Biotechnology Institute, but had been rejected by the government.
The hospital, meanwhile, said it planned to use 500 frozen "left-over" ovum that
are no longer needed from fertility treatment clinics and 300 substandard ovum
that cannot be used at all.
Chung Hyung-min, who will head the research, said the aim will be to create
cloned embryonic stem cells using human adult cells that can be extracted from
blood, hair follicles, fat, as well as from inside the nose and the umbilical
cord.
The scientist said the process will require the removal of the nuclei from the
ovum, and filling it with the cloned adult cell of another person that will lead
to the creation of a stem cell line.
"The goal will be to use 200 ovum to make one stem cell line," he said, adding
that to prevent another controversy, if the stem cell line is created it will be
submitted for review by both local and foreign scientists.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
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