Wednesday, January 11, 2006
This blog follow with interest the odd case of Korean scientist and his elaborate hoax. While this will undoubtedly affect the genetic research scene for a couple of years, Hwang Woo Suk's case do have a couple of lesson on the checks and balance that are currently the norm and what is lacking in them.
First, it is important to note that the scam is neither recent nor was the amount involved small by any rate. That no external auditing was called in until nearly 2 year into scam and even then its by a whistle-blower within the team is a real cause for concern. In a research area with as much implication in terms of ethics and in the field of medicine, that he can get away with as much as he did for as long as he did not only underlines the problems intrinsic with the governing bodies, it also highlights how a scientist word is taken without checking for the facts.
While there is no doubt Hwang will be dealt with justly, the problem will be the damage done to the genetic research. Of course it can be argued that the research is not severely hampered in the long run and that building on the experience this incident have given the industry, the probability of a recurrence is very much reduced. However, the damage is still done. In a field that is so close to our hearts (both figuratively and literally), it is of utmost importance that we trust the procedure and the technology. While this blog do not suggest that people will refuse treatment on account of this fraud, however, suspicions will still arise and may hamper future procedures.
In the end, this will all pass and there will be future advances with more checks in place to ensure that it based on facts and not a figment of imagination. However, from now till then, its another spanner in the works for research on embryos.
2:07 PM
