100 Billion Won to be Put into the Stem Cell Research

The Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) had decided to assist the stem cell research project including `development of artificial human organs`, which presumes the cloning of human embryos. The decision will likely bring about controversy.

The MOST appointed a professor of the Seoul National University College of Medicine Moon Shin-Yong as the director of `the technological development team using stem cells` among the nine `twenty-first century frontier research and development projects`, which have been announced on May 16. In the research and development of stem cell led by professor Moon`s team, 100 billion Won will be assisted for ten years with an annual budget of ten billion Won.

Professor Moon`s team will proceed the researches not only on cell transfer treatment methods including liver and pancreas cells but also on producing artificial human organs using the stem cells. Furthermore, `Korean stem cell bank` will be established.

Professor Moon said, `The project will be a combined research of the universities and the research institutes studying life science and will include the medical college of the Seoul National University, Pochon CHA Medical School, the medical college of the Yonsei University, and the Catholic Medical School, and others.

However, a complaint of `the research goes before the law` is raised since the government decided to support on `stem cell research` when the related laws are not prepared for it yet.

The MOST has a plan to formulate `an Act on Stem Cell Research and Others`, the content of which would allow the cloning of human embryo to obtain stems cells, but the specific content is not yet determined. Especially, an affiliate committee of the MOST, the Life Ethic Advisory Committee, composed of scientists, doctors, civic groups, and religious organizations, has proposed an act banning the cloning of human embryo last year.

Director-general of the research and development bureau of the MOST Chung Yoon said, `The international trend is to allow the embryo cloning for the treatment of hard-to-cure diseases,` and added, `As we are surely left behind in the medical technology development competition on researches on stem cells, which have been revolutionized recently, we decided to support the project.`

Director-general Chung further said, `The future laws will embody the content that can enable the project we have decided to support.`

The MOST will strictly ban `individual cloning`, which may create a cloned human by settling a cloned embryo to the womb, when the related laws on stem cell research and other are formulated. Additionally, the MOST will establish `an ethics committee` in the technology development project team using the stem cells so that researches on ethically non-controversial sectors can proceed early.

Ja-Ryong Koo bonhong@donga.com