A South Korean court on Monday found disgraced stem cell scientist Hwang Woo-suk guilty of fraud and handed down a suspended sentence in a case that sent shockwaves throughout the global scientific community. Hwang, once a scientist with rock-star like status for bringing South Korea to the forefront of stem cell studies, faced trial on charges of fraud, misusing state funds and violating bioethics laws. Hwang's team was thought to have made two major breakthroughs by cloning stem cells and tailoring them to a specific patient, which raised hopes of generating genetically specific tissue to repair damaged organs or treat diseases such as Alzheimer's. An investigation team at Seoul National University said in late 2005 that Hwang's team fabricated vital data in two papers on human embryonic stem cells. The Seoul court said he was guilty of fabrication in a trial that stretched more than three years and included painstaking details about the scientific work Hwang and his team had performed at Seoul National University. The court also said that Hwang illegally diverted a portion of the money he received for research for his own personal use. Seoul National University has, however, verified that Hwang's team produced the world's first cloned dog, an Afghan hound named Snuppy. With major financial backing from his supporters, Hwang went on to form SooAm Biotech Research Foundation in 2006, which specialises in animal cloning and has produced cloned dogs. Hwang is still regarded with scorn by many in the country but has fostered a small, devoted group of followers. Hwang's supporters, who have packed the court for each hearing, broke into applause when the court sentenced Hwang to two years in jail, and suspended him for three years. Prosecutors were seeking a four-year prison term, saying Hwang had set back scientific research and deeply embarrassed the country, which was at one point being groomed into a global centre for stem cell studies.
