RESTORING A STEM-CELL REPUTATION
Just over a year ago, South Korea garnered headlines for one thing: the dismissal of Hwang Woo Suk from Seoul National University for false claims of cloning patient-specific embryonic stem cells. With all of the planned spending in this country - a nearly 10% increase in its science and technology budget for 2007 and planned investment of $14.3 billion in biotech R&D over the next decade - one might ask: Can funding return South Korea to a reputable place to do stem-cell research?
Success or failure will surely depend on how the funding gets spent. In assessing South Korea's spending on stem cells, Colin McGuckin of Newcastle University in the United Kingdom says, "I don't think they are just throwing money in the direction of stem-cell research, but rather now having a more-balanced approach ... and are planning a wide spread of stem-cell research and an emphasis on adult stem cells." Even thought-out spending, though, must go to the right scientists to generate useful results. McGuckin says he thinks that South Korea has those researchers. "There are some very good people there," he says.
Some other experts also see hope for stem-cell research in South Korea. Ed Field, president and COO of Aldagen in North Carolina, says, "South Korea could be a leading country in stem-cell research by spending prudently in specific focus areas of research." On the other hand, Field does not expect South Korea to gain much ground in stem-cell therapy, because "it has far fewer resources to convert research into therapeutic products than exist in the US and Europe." He concludes, "They would likely become a net exporter of technology, which could be commercialized by others."
