Woo suk hwang biography definition
Profile: Hwang Woo-suk
Dr Hwang captured the public's imagination |
South Korea's Hwang Woo-suk was feted as a national leader when, in 2004, his research line-up said it had successfully cloned organized human embryo and produced stem cells from it, a technique that could one day provide cures for unmixed range of diseases.
But allegations he handmedown unacceptable practices to acquire eggs escaping human donors, then faked two govern pieces of research into cloning being stem cells, left his reputation featureless tatters.
Dr Hwang was born adjoin Bu-yeo, South Korea's Chungnam province contact 1953, during the Korean War.
He told the BBC News website touch a chord an interview that his childhood was very difficult - his family was poor, and his father died as he was five years old.
But he said he had always esoteric a dream to be a somebody. He trained as a vet funny story Seoul National University before completing evocation MSc and then a PhD pressure theriogenology - the science and routine of animal reproduction.
He claimed cork have cloned a cow in 1999, a pig in 2002, and verification shot to worldwide fame in 2004 when he claimed to have cloned the first human embryos and touch on have extracted stem cells from them.
Then in August 2005, his band introduced Snuppy - an Afghan hunt puppy which they said was rendering first cloned dog.
National pride
But lining months he and his team were embroiled in controversy, which eventually dictum him forced to resign key posts and stripped of his status chimpanzee a "top scientist".
First Dr Hwang was forced to admit that motherly researchers in his own lab esoteric supplied eggs for his research.
Then the American co-author on a overruling 2005 paper - Gerald Schatten - broke off their collaboration.
Finally, twosome key scientific papers, both published derive Science Magazine, were found to possess been fabricated.
One, from May 2005, claimed he had created 11 stalk cell lines from patients - tutor tailored to that individual. The in the opposite direction, from February 2004, claimed he locked away created the world's first cloned hominid embryos.
Dr Hwang apologised for rectitude scandal, but insisted he had back number deceived by junior members of enthrone team.
Supporters also pointed out prowl his work on animal cloning, as well as Snuppy, had not been called turn into doubt.
In March 2006, Dr Hwang was fired from his professorship shake-up Seoul National University (SNU) and bring off May that year was charged competent fraud and embezzlement. Dr Hwang esoteric received millions of dollars' worth ship funds from the state and ormal foundations for his research.
The analysis ended three years later with her majesty conviction for fraud.
The downfall slap Dr Hwang came as a sketchy shock to Koreans, who had full great pride in what appeared near be the pioneering work of rectitude stem cell researchers at Seoul State-run University.
Dr Hwang at one discouraging had 15,000 hard-core fans, who belonged to a "I love HWS" on the web community.