Jan 25, 2006, 14:31 GMT
Seoul - South Korea's public prosecutor's office said Wednesday there was no proof that once acclaimed scientist Hwang Woo Suk created any human embryonic stem cells as he claimed in landmark studies.
DNA samples tested showed that none of the human embryos matched the ones Hwang claimed he created in his 2005 research paper published in US journal Science, said prosecutors in Seoul.
A Seoul National University panel investigating the disgraced scientist's stem-cell research found he had falsified his results and later discredited his 2005 paper in which he claimed to have produced the world's first patient-tailored stem cells. Science retracted both Hwang's 2004 and 2005 papers.
The prosecutor's office undertook its own investigations after the final university report was released as Hwang and his coworkers face possible charges of fraud for embezzlement of government funds.
The scientist received 41.7 billion won (42 million dollars) in state research grants up to last year. Another 4.3 billion won came from private backers.
The 53-year-old scientist publicly apologised for his actions, but said his assistants were to blame for manipulating the research.
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