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SOCIEDADE BRASILEIRA DE QUÍMICA BOLETIM ELETRONICO No. 638
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______________________________________________________________________
Assine e divulgue Química Nova na Escola e o Journal of the Brazilian
Chemical Society (
www.sbq.org.br/publicacoes/indexpub.htm) a revista
de Química mais importante e com o maior índice de impacto da América
Latina. Visite a nova página eletrônica do JBCS na home-page da
SBQ (
http://jbcs.sbq.org.br).
______________________________________________________________________
VEJA NESTA EDIÇÃO:
1. Second Circular- 16th International Conference on Organic
Synthesis, ICOS-16
2. 3o. Simpósio Brasileiro em Química Medicinal (BrazMedChem2006)
3. XIII Encontro Nacional de Ensino de Química
4. Inscrições para o Curso de Mestrado do Programa de Pós-graduação
em Química Aplicada da Universidade do Estado da Bahia
5. Revista "Science" anulará artigo fabricado de pesquisador coreano
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1. Second Circular- 16th International Conference on Organic
Synthesis, ICOS-16
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Second Circular
16th International Conference on Organic Synthesis, ICOS-16
General Information
The 16th International Conference on Organic Synthesis, co-sponsored
by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC),
Academia Mexicana de Ciencias (AMC), Sociedad Química de México (SQM),
and the Division of Organic Chemistry of the American Chemical Society
(ACS), will take place during the week of June 11-15, 2006, in Mérida,
Yucatán, México.
Scientific Program
Hoping to match the fantastic success achieved in previous conferences
of this series, ICOS-16 has secured the participation of eight
outstanding plenary speakers (50-min presentations):
Luiz C. Dias (Brazil)
Eric N. Jacobsen (USA)
Paul Knochel (Germany)
Shu Kobayashi (Japan)
Stephen F. Martin (USA)
Dieter Seebach (Switzerland)
Joaquín Tamariz (México)
and the still to be selected winner of the 2006 Thieme-IUPAC Prize.
Additionally 15 renowned invited speakers will deliver 25-min
presentations: Varinder K. Aggarwal (UK), Carsten Bolm (Germany),
Margaret Brimble (New Zealand), Cathleen Crudden (Canada), Gregory
Fu (USA), Tohru Fukuyama (Japan), Miguel A. García-Garibay (USA),
Cesare Gennari (Italy), Minoru Isobe (Japan), Eun Lee (Korea),
Shengming Ma (China), Carmen Nájera (Spain), Régis Réau (France),
Philippe Renaud (Switzerland), and Margarita Suárez (Cuba).
All plenary sessions will take place in the mornings of Monday June
12th through Thursday June 15th, from 9:00 to 13:30 h.
Finally, 36 invited experts will partake in six symposia (programmed
in the afternoons of Monday and Tuesday) in the areas of "medicinal
chemistry" (Chair, Tarek Mansour), "organocatalysis" (Chair, Carlos
Barbas, III), "enantioselective synthesis of ß-amino acids" (Chair,
Ferenc Fülöp), "organolithium compounds in synthesis" (Chair, William
F. Bailey), "selenium and tellurium in organic synthesis" (Chair,
João V. Comasseto), and "applications of microwave in organic
synthesis" (Chair, Nicholas E. Leadbeater). For additional information,
see: (
http://www.relaq.mx/RLQ/IUPAC16simposio.html).
Oral and Poster Presentations
The attendees will be strongly encouraged to participate in the
academic program and up to 600 poster presentations will be scheduled
during the meeting afternoons of Monday, Tuesday and Thursday).
Abstracts should be submitted by e-mail to Dr. Martin A. Iglesias-
Arteaga (ICOS_16@servidor.unam.mx) before March 1st, 2006 and will
be peer reviewed. All accepted contributions will be presented as
1.2 m high x 1.0 m wide posters.
A limited number of oral presentations will be scheduled on the
afternoon of Thursday, June 15th. A template has been elaborated to
help you in the preparation of your abstracts, please download and
save it in your hard disk. Instructions for authors are included in
the template (
http://www.relaq.mx/RLQ/IUPAC16papel.html).
Chemical Exhibition
Ample space for chemical exhibitors will also be available. For
information please contact Mrs. Ana S. Lopez, (icos16@relaq.mx).
Social Program
In order to promote and facilitate interaction between participants,
several social events are being arranged; these include a performance
by the Yucatán's Folkloric Ballet at Mérida's Main Theater on Monday
evening, an excursion to the archeological site of Uxmal in the
afternoon of Wednesday, and the Conference banquet at a local Hacienda
on Thursday evening.
About the Location
Mérida is the capital of the state of Yucatán, located in the
southeastern part of México. The city has a well-connected
international airport, with daily flights from Mexico City, Houston
and Miami. Travelers can also fly into Cancún and then travel by
road (300 Km) to Mérida. The Yucatán peninsula offers a variety of
attractions for the tourist; these include colonial cities,
archeological sites, beaches, ecological reserves, haciendas, etc.
For additional information, you may visit the websites
(
http://www.merida.gob.mx/) or (
http://www.turitransmerida.com.mx/)
Registration Fees*
Category
Professionals: US dollars $550.00
Students**: US dollars $300.00
Accompanying Person: US dollars $300.00
Conference Banquet: (Thursday Evening)
US dollars $50.00 per person.
*Registration includes welcome mixer, conference tour, a ticket to
the Folkloric Ballet, conference bag and book of abstracts .
**Copy of student ID is required.
Tours
A variety of tours are being offered by the Turitransmerida agency,
(
http://www.turitransmerida.com.mx)
Hotel accommodations
Reservations for the conference hotels (Fiesta Americana, Hyatt and
Holiday Inn, (
http://www.relaq.mx/RLQ/IUPAC16hotels.html) will be
handled by American Express.
Please contact Ms. Adriana L. Silva, (Adriana.L.Silva@aexp.com)
Climate and Clothing
June is a rather warm time in Mérida. The conference site, hotels,
taxies some shops and some buses are well air-conditioned.
Participants are advised to bring along light clothing.
No formal dress will be required for any of the functions including
the conference banquet.
Conference Website
For additional information on the Conference's scientific program,
registration procedures, hotel accommodations, submission of
contributions for poster presentations, important deadlines, etc.,
please visit the website for ICOS-16:
(
http://www.relaq.mx/RLQ/IUPAC_ICOS-16.html)
Additional questions and/or comments can also be directed to
Dr. Eusebio Juaristi,
Chairman of ICOS-16, e-mail (juaristi@relaq.mx)
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2. 3o. Simpósio Brasileiro em Química Medicinal (BrazMedChem2006)
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Prezados Colegas,
É com enorme prazer que divulgamos o 3o. Simpósio Brasileiro em
Química Medicinal (BrazMedChem2006, ver site
(
http://www.brazmedchem.if.sc.usp.br), que será realizado no Hotel
Fazenda Fonte Colina Verde, na Estância de São Pedro - SP, de 12 a 15
de novembro de 2006. Este evento científico de caráter internacional
conta com o apoio da Divisão de Química Medicinal
(MD, http://lspnf.iqm.unicamp.br/md/) da Sociedade Brasileira de
Química (SBQ, http://www.sbq.org.br).
Seguindo o modelo de grande sucesso de sua última edição realizada no
Rio de Janeiro em 2004, contaremos com a participação de renomados
cientistas de diversas áreas, com o objetivo de promover o crescimento
e fortalecimento da Química Medicinal brasileira.
O Comitê Organizador, constituído pelos Professores Glaucius Oliva
(Presidente), Vanderlan da S. Bolzani (Vice-Presidente), Adriano D.
Andricopulo (Secretário Geral) e Carlos A. Montanari (Coordenador do
Comitê Científico), tem o compromisso de realizar um evento memorável,
do mais elevado teor científico e humano, a altura das expectativas
de nossa comunidade científica.
O BrazMedChem2006 reunirá participantes da maior importância no
cenário mundial, contando com a destacada conferência de abertura a
ser proferida pelo Professor K. Barry Sharpless.
K. BARRY SHARPLESS, The Scripps Research Institute - EUA
Laureado com o Prêmio Nobel de Química em 2001
PHILIP S. PORTOGHESE, University of Minnesota - EUA
Editor do Journal of Medicinal Chemistry
CHI-HUEY WONG, The Scripps Research Institute - EUA
Editor do Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry
JOSEPH VACCA, Merck Research Laboratories - EUA
Diretor Executivo de P&D em Química Medicinal
ELIEZER J. BARREIRO, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro - Brasil
Coordenador do Instituto Virtual de Fármacos do Estado do Rio de
Janeiro (IVFRJ)
GEORGE L. KENYON, University of Michigan - EUA
Presidente da International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular
Biology (IUBMB)
ROBERT VERPOORTE, Lieden University - Holanda
Editor da Phytochemistry Reviews
TUDOR I. OPREA, University of New México - EUA
Presidente da The QSAR and Modelling Society
JOHN J. IRWIN, University of California San Francisco - EUA
Criador da ZINC, maior base de dados do mundo para virtual screening
Em breve divulgaremos o programa científico detalhado e mais
informações sobre este evento, que certamente será histórico para a
Química Medicinal brasileira e para toda a nossa sociedade de
Química.
Contamos com a sua participação no BrazMedChem2006!
Um Feliz 2006 a todos!
Atenciosamente,
Adriano D. Andricopulo
Secretário Geral
E-mail: (aandrico@if.sc.usp.br)
3o. Simpósio Brasileiro em Química Medicinal
(
http://www.brazmedchem.if.sc.usp.br)
************************************************************************
3. XIII Encontro Nacional de Ensino de Química
************************************************************************
O evento ocorrerá entre 24 e 27 de julho de 2006 e marcará
comemorativamente os 25 anos de ENEQ´s. Sua realização será na UNICAMP,
numa parceria entre Faculdade de Educação e Instituto de Química, com o
envolvimento e a participação de outras universidades paulistas como USP,
UNESP, UFSCAR e UNIMEP.
As inscrições com submissão de trabalhos poderão ser feitas até 20 de
abril de 2006.
Outras informações estão no site: (
www.fae.unicamp.br/eneq).
Ou pelo telefone: (19)-3788-5564 ou 3788-5565 (com Malu e Luciana,
na FE - UNICAMP)
E-mail de contato: (eneq2006@unicamp.br)
Fonte: M. Inês Petrucci Rosa (FE/UNICAMP)
Adriana Vitorino Rossi (IQ/UNICAMP)
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4. Inscrições para o Curso de Mestrado do Programa de Pós-graduação
em Química Aplicada da Universidade do Estado da Bahia
**********************************************************************
As inscrições para o curso de Mestrado no Programa de Pós-Graduação
em Química Aplicada da UNEB estarão abertas no perído de 09 a 31 de
janeiro de 2006.
Calendário:
Publicação das candidaturas homologadas: 06 de fevereiro de 2006
Prova escrita: 11 de fevereiro de 2006
Publicação dos resultados da prova escrita: 15 de fevereiro de 2006
Entrevista: 18 de fevereiro de 2006
Para informações mais detalhadas procurar em (
www.uneb.br) ou enviar
mensagem para (pgqa@uneb.br). Informações também podem ser obtidas na
Secretaria do Programa no Prédio Especial do DCET I / UNEB, em
Salvador, BA;
Fonte: Prof. Mauro Korn
Coordenador do Programa de Pos-Graduação em Química Aplicada - UNEB
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5. Revista "Science" anulará artigo fabricado de pesquisador coreano
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TV coreana diz que jovens pesquisadoras do laboratório de Hwang foram
coagidas a doar óvulos.
A revista científica "Science" comunicou ontem que cancelará um
artigo publicado em maio do ano passado pelo coreano Woo-Suk Hwang,
acusado de fraudar dados de pesquisa com células-tronco embrionárias
humanas.
Na noite de anteontem, a TV coreana relatou que jovens pesquisadoras
do laboratório de Hwang foram coagidas a doar óvulos para os estudos
do chefe, o que complica ainda mais a situação do cientista, ex-herói
nacional.
A revista americana disse ter recebido autorização de todos os autores
para cancelar o estudo -um fato raro em publicações do gênero-,
classificado como fraude por um painel da Universidade Nacional de
Seul.
Sobre a origem dos óvulos, uma reportagem da TV coreana MBC afirmou
que cientistas-juniores do grupo se sentiram compelidas a se submeter
ao doloroso e arriscado procedimento de extração de óvulos por medo
de perderem o reconhecimento acadêmico.
Um membro da equipe disse de uma colega: "Ela disse ao professor Hwang
que não passaria pelo procedimento, e disse que ele ficou zangado e
perguntou: "Por que não?" Ela ficou preocupada, e decidiu doar os
óvulos devido à sua preocupação." (Da Reuters)
(Folha de SP, 5/1)
Leia a íntegra de nota oficial da Editoria da "Science" sobre a fraude
do cientista sul-coreano, publicada nesta quarta-feira:
"Science Editorial Statement Concerning Stem Cell Manuscripts by Woo
Suk Hwang, et al.
As a service to reporters and the public, the AAAS Office of Public
Programs and Science Editorial are providing the following chronology
of events related to two stem-cell papers published in Science.
This information is accurate to the best of our knowledge, as of this
writing. The situation is complicated, however, and we reserve the
right to correct or amend this chronology as new information comes
to light. Please check back for any updates.
The following statement concerns two papers published in Science by
Dr. Woo Suk Hwang et al.: "Evidence of a Pluripotent Human Embryonic
Stem Cell Line Derived from a Cloned Blastocyst" (February 12, 2004,
Science Express; March 12, 2004, Science); and "Patient-Specific
Embryonic Stem Cells Derived from Human SCNT Blastocysts" (May 19
2005, Science Express; June 17, 2005, Science).
Dr. Hwang was the lead author on both of these papers. Dr. Gerald
Schatten of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center was a
co-author on the 2005 paper only.
Science editors have been assessing a series of issues related to
these papers. The specific chronology of events, beginning with the
most recent developments first, is as follows:
(22.) 04 January 2006, 9:00 am U.S. ET -- The journal Science issued
the following statement regarding the South Korean stem cell probe.
"All authors have indicated a willingness to retract the 2005 paper
("Patient-Specific Embryonic Stem Cells Derived from Human SCNT
Blastocysts" May 19 2005, Science Express; June 17, 2005, Science)
"To ensure that the wording of the retraction reflects the final
conclusions of the Seoul National University (SNU) investigation,
Science will finalize the retraction text and proceed with the final
steps of the retraction process only after the SNU investigation is
completed next week.
"Science hopes this approach will yield a retraction that will
convey accurately as much information as possible to the scientific
community."
Please Note: The Editors do not anticipate further media comment until
after the Investigation Committee has communicated their final report
to the journal. All Science press package recipients will receive
e-mail notification prior to publication of the retraction.
(21.) 29 December 2005, 12:45 pm U.S. ET -- The journal Science today
issued the following statement in response to news accounts of a press
conference by a Seoul National University team that has been
investigating the authenticity of stem-cell research article by
Dr. Woo Suk Hwang:
"There is no question in our minds that the stem-cell paper published
19 May 2005 by the journal Science needs to be retracted, and we are
proceeding swiftly but appropriately in that direction. As of this
writing, however, editors at Science still have not received any
official notification from Seoul National University regarding the
interim findings just reported in the press, and so we have sent a
message to the head of the investigation, Dr. Roe Jung-hye, seeking
more information. Science also is continuing to try and gather all
authors' signatures for the retraction agreement.
"We feel it is important to note that retraction of a scientific
paper is an editorial and bibliographic tool that is used to correct
the permanent scholarly record, and it cannot be made based solely
upon news reports. We are continuing, however, to proceed as quickly
as possible toward a retraction of the 2005 paper.
"The latest news reports reinforce the authors' previously received
request to retract the 2005 paper. We continue to work with the
authors on the wording of the retraction and obtaining the signatures
needed for publication. We have given them a deadline of tomorrow,
Friday, 30 December. If we have not received all of the signatures
by tomorrow, Science will be moving toward running an editorial
retraction, or one signed by the investigation committee itself,
possibly after the final investigative report is issued." -
Science Editor-in-Chief Donald Kennedy
(20.) 23 December 2005, 2:00 pm U.S. ET -- Statement by Science
Editors on Korean Stem Cell Investigation.
"Science has now learned from the Seoul National University
investigation committee, as transmitted by the head of the
investigation, that some of the results of the 2005 Hwang et al.
paper are the result of substantial research misconduct on the part
of the authors. These involve portions of the DNA fingerprinting
data, an exaggeration of the number of teratomas actually formed by
embryonic stem cell lines, and unverifiable claims about the number
of lines actually created.
"We are continuing to move forward with a formal retraction of the
2005 paper. If a statement is not provided in a timely manner by the
authors or the investigation committee on behalf of Seoul National
University, we will move forward with an editorial retraction. Both
the committee and Science are also pursuing possible problems with
the 2004 paper. We will continue to communicate the results as soon
as they become available.
"We call renewed attention to the Editorial Expression of Concern
issued on 22 December and updated today to reflect the preliminary
findings of the investigation."
The text is available at:
(
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/1124185)
(19.) 22 December 2005, 3:30 pm U.S. ET -- The following Editorial
Expression of Concern is published online at Science Express. It is
now linked online to both of these papers, and it will be published
in print in Science on 6 January 2006. This is an official notice to
the readers of Science informing them that concerns have been raised
about the validity of the 2005 paper, and questions about the 2004
paper are being explored by Science Editorial.
(18.) 20 December 2005, 11:30 am U.S. ET - No additional
communications or retractions have been received from the authors of
the 2005 paper. The editors of Science are reviewing both the 2004
and 2005 papers from Dr. Hwang's laboratory in light of new questions
about the authenticity of images in the 2004 paper. So far, there has
been no substantiated charge. Science will act expeditiously and
forcefully when the facts are known.
(17.) 16 December 2005, 2:30 pm U.S. ET - The journal Science and its
publisher, AAAS, had a teleconference for reporters at 2:30 pm US
Eastern Time on Friday, 16 December 2005. (To view an AAAS news
summary of the teleconference and listen to the audio file, visit: (
http://www.aaas.org/news/releases/2005/1216stemcellcall.shtml)
(16.) 16 December 2005, 10:00 am U.S. ET -- Several hours prior to
Dr. Woo Suk Hwang's press conference in Seoul, Science Editorial
received direct communication, by telephone, from him and Dr. Gerald
Schatten, the lead authors of the 2005 paper. They said they wish to
retract the paper ("Patient-Specific Embryonic Stem Cells Derived
from Human SCNT Blastocysts," May 19 2005, Science Express; June 17,
2005, Science). Science's stated policy is that all authors must
agree to any retraction, and Dr. Hwang has assured us that he is
contacting his coauthors. Science editors will honor the authors'
request and assist them in preparing a retraction. Science Editorial
continues to follow and encourage the official investigations now
underway and will have no comment on them until the investigations
have been completed.
(15.) *Entry #15 was added on 28 December 2005 in an effort to
provide as complete a chronology as possible. Two corrections were
published in the print Science on 16 December 2005, and can be
found at: (
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/310/5755/1769).
There were two errors in Table 2 of "Patient-specific embryonic stem
cells derived from human SCNT blastocysts" by W. S. Hwang et al. (17
June, 2005, p. 1777). The table has been corrected. The second
correction concerns "Evidence of a pluripotent human embryonic stem
cell line derived from a cloned blastocyst" by W. S. Hwang et al.
(12 Mar. 2004, p. 1669). Contrary to the statements in the second
paragraph of text and first paragraph of the supporting online
material, which indicated that there was no financial payment to
oocyte and cumulus cell donors, some oocyte donors were financially
compensated for their donation with a payment of approximately
U.S. $1,400. The correction has been added to the "Version History"
of the paper.
(14.) 15 December, 11:20 am U.S. ET - All authors must formally
request a retraction in writing for Science to retract a paper.
Neither Dr. Hwang nor any of the co-authors have requested a
retraction. Science editors have asked Dr. Hwang and his co-authors
for clarification regarding unconfirmed news reports about requests
for retraction.
(13.) 14 December 2005 - "The journal welcomes investigations being
conducted by institutional authorities in Korea, as well as the
inquiry now underway at the University of Pittsburgh," Science's
Editor-in-Chief Dr. Donald Kennedy said 14 December 2005, in response
to ongoing questions. "The journal itself is not an investigative
body, but we await answers from the authors, as well as official
conclusions, before we can come to any ourselves. We are doing our
best to follow these fast-moving developments, and we will continue,
as best we can, to keep the scientific community informed."
(12.) 13 December, 4:45 pm U.S. ET -- Science editors confirmed that
they have now received a letter from eight scientists, stating that
"accusations made in the press about the validity of the experiments
published in South Korea are, in our opinion, best resolved within
the scientific community." The letter, signed by Ian Wilmut of
Edinburgh University and others, states: "We encourage Hwang's
laboratory to cooperate with us to perform an independent test of
his cell lines to determine their nuclear and mitochondrial genotype
in comparison with the donors of the original cells." At 6:00 p.m.
U.S. Eastern Time, Science published this letter on its Science
Express site, (
http://www.scienceexpress.org).
(11.) 13 December - Science Editorial today confirmed that the journal
Science has received a letter from Dr. Gerald Schatten of the
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Science editors have chosen
not to release this letter because it contains unsubstantiated
allegations, along with Dr. Schatten's request that he be removed as
a co-author of Dr. Hwang's 2005 paper. Retraction of a paper requires
the agreement of all authors. There is no mechanism for retracting
authorship. No single author, having declared at the time of
submission his full and complete confidence in the contents of the
paper, can retract his name unilaterally, after publication, and
while inquiries are still underway by the Korean authors. Unlike Dr.
Schatten, the Korean authors have direct contact with the conduct of
the experiments. "We continue to take this issue seriously," Dr.
Kennedy said, "and we are following developments both in South Korea
and at the University of Pittsburgh."
(10.) 9 December -- Science Editorial was continuing to review and
respond to inquiries about the papers by Dr. Hwang and colleagues.
Science editors asked the authors for further information about
questions regarding images and DNA fingerprinting records included
as Supplemental Online Material. Science will disclose new
information as that becomes possible. Contrary to reports that have
come to editors' attention, Science has never asked Dr. Hwang or
anyone not to respond to press inquiries, nor has Science discouraged
him from seeking independent replication of his findings.
(9.) On Monday 5 December, University of Pittsburgh officials said
they had opened a preliminary inquiry after learning some
high-resolution stem-cell images in the 2005 Science paper were
duplicates, according to news accounts.
(8.) On 4 December, Dr. Hwang contacted Science editors at 11:29 p.m.
Eastern Time to alert us to erroneous duplications in some images
published as part of the Supporting Online Material for the 2005
paper. Specifically, Dr. Hwang reported that "we made some
unintentional error by using about 4 pictures redundantly." The
images in question were labeled: SSEA-3 of NT-hESC-3 and NT-hESC-8;
SSEA-1 of NT-hESC-5 and NT-hESC-6; SSEA-4 of NT-hESC-9 and TRA-1-60
of NT-hESC-11; and SSEA-1 of NThESC- 7 and NT-hESC-11. After an
investigation of the e-mail, database and paper trail between
editors and authors, Science determined that the redundant images
noted above did not appear in the PDF version of the paper accepted
on 12 May. In preparation for publishing on Science Express and in
print, the editors had requested from the corresponding author, Dr.
Schatten, high resolution images for all the figures. These
author-provided high resolution images were received on 10 May and
incorporated into a new PDF on 12 May for posting in the 19 May
Science Express version. Some of the high resolution images did not
match images that were in the version of the paper that
peer-reviewers had seen and Science editors had accepted. On 13 May,
the editor forwarded the new PDF with the high resolution images to
the authors to ensure that the assembled files were correct.
Unfortunately, the authors did not notice that the incorporated high
resolution files contained the figure errors. Science has e-mailed
Dr. Schatten and Dr. Hwang to request that they check their files to
confirm this sequence of events and to shed light on the genesis of
the high-resolution file. "There is no reason to believe at the
moment that it is a problem that affects the scientific outcome of
the paper," Dr. Kennedy said in response to questions about the
redundant images.
(7.) On 4 December, media outlets reported that the Munhwa
Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) had publicly apologized for reporting
tactics related to a 22 November, PD Diary program, "The Myth of
Hwang Woo-suk and Suspicions over Eggs." It was further reported
that the Foundation of Broadcast Culture met the following day with
Choi Mun-sun, the president of MBC, to discuss questions about the
ethics of reporting methods associated with the segment on Dr. Hwang.
(6.) On 1 December, Dr. Moon-il Park, Director and Chair of the
Institutional Review Board (IRB) on Human Subjects Research and
Ethics Committees, Hanyang University Hospital, e-mailed Dr.
Kennedy regarding the results of an investigation jointly carried
out by the hospital IRB and the college of Veterinary Medicine,
Seoul National University IRB. Dr. Park indicated that his findings
had been submitted to the Ministry of Health and Welfare and
National Bioethics Committee (NBC). Dr. Park's e-mail concluded
that, contrary to information originally given to Science: "After
the investigation for the research conducted from late 2002 through
late 2003 and published in issue of February 2004 of Science, we
found out that 1) two researchers under Dr. Woo Suk Hwang's
supervision donated oocytes voluntarily without any coercion and 2)
approximately US$1,445 was paid for direct expenses." Dr. Moon
noted, however, that payment for ova donations was not illegal in
Korea until January 2005, after the first paper was published.
Further, the group concluded that Dr. Hwang's research was conducted
in accordance with the Helsinki Guidelines of 1964, which prohibit
coercion of research subjects. "We strongly believe that the
identified concerns have no impact on the validity of the scientific
conclusions," Dr. Park concluded.
(5.) Beginning on 22 November, Science's press office began to receive
reporter calls regarding numerous different versions of charges that
apparently had been made by a Korean television station, Munhwa
Broadcasting Corporation's (MBC) "PD Diary" program. "None of these
allegations have been credible," Dr. Kennedy said in response to
questions about the MBC broadcast. "Until a specific, scientifically
based claim against Dr. Hwang's findings is reported to us, we will
not offer speculations."
(4.) Meanwhile, in an unrelated development, authors of the 2005
paper provided Science with corrections to data contained within one
table (Table 2). The corrected table was promptly published on
Science's Web site, and was readied for print publication. Science
Editor-in-Chief Donald Kennedy said at the time: "It is our
understanding that the correction of the table does not significantly
alter the paper's primary conclusion that patient-specific embryonic
stem cells were derived from human SCNT-blastocysts."
(3.) A formal statement by Dr. Schatten and the University of
Pittsburgh was issued on November 12, 2005.
(2.) A day later, on 11 November, Dr. Schatten informed us that
because he had come to believe that Dr. Hwang had misrepresented
facts about consent issues related to the 2004 paper, he would not
be able to work with Dr. Hwang in the future. Because this
information was provided by Dr. Schatten, who had not been a
co-author on the 2004 paper, Science Editorial asked Dr. Hwang to
inform us of any concerns regarding his research. Dr. Hwang responded
to say he was looking into the matter. We further urged Dr. Schatten
to notify all appropriate institutional authorities about his concerns
related to the 2004 paper.
(1.) On Thursday, 10 November, Science was alerted by Dr. Schatten of
reports in the Korean press, alleging that researcher Dr. Sung-Il Roh
had illegally traded ova. Dr. Roh is a co-author on Dr. Hwang's 2005
paper, and he is acknowledged for assisting with part of the research
related to the 2004 paper. Dr. Schatten reassurred us that "none of
the oocytes used in Prof. Hwang's 04 or 05 SCIENCE papers were
obtained from reimbursed women donors."
Updates to this chronology, and the Science editor-in-chief's
responses to ongoing developments, will be provided as they become
available.
Additional Questions and Answers
- What were the conclusions and methods of the 2004 paper?
In 2004, the first Hwang paper described, for the first time, the
development of versatile "pluripotent" human embryonic stem cells,
potentially capable of becoming any cell in the body, from a cloned
human blastocyst.
The stem cells were harvested from a blastocyst produced by
transferring the nucleus of a non-reproductive ("somatic") cell,
containing a woman's genetic blueprint, into a nucleus-free egg from
the same donor.
Following this transfer, factors within the host egg's exterior, or
cytoplasm, reprogrammed its new nuclear contents by activating
versatile embryonic genes, while silencing the more limited adult
somatic cell genes. Researchers were then able to collect embryonic
stem cells from the resulting cell mass inside the cloned blastocysts.
Hwang and colleagues developed the stem cell line, SCNT-hES-1, after
collecting 242 eggs from 16 people. (At the time, the researchers
reported that the donors were unpaid volunteers who had signed
informed-consent agreements. This information is now being corrected
by Science.)
From these eggs, scientists then cultured 30 blastocysts to obtain
20 suitable inner cell masses. By tweaking the amount of time that
elapsed between the transfer of the nucleus and the activation of
the newly transplanted genetic material, the team was able to
optimize their results: A two-hour delay seemed to work best, so
that 20 percent of all reconstructed eggs formed blastocysts. From
the inner cell mass of these blastocysts, a single human embryonic
stem cell line was obtained.
- What were the primary conclusions of the 2005 paper?
In 2005, the second Science paper reported that scientists had
isolated the first human embryonic stem cell lines specifically
tailored to match the nuclear DNA of patients, both male and female
of various ages, suffering from disease or spinal cord injury.
The paper reported that these cell lines would enable the study of
human disease in cells in the laboratory and move scientists one
step closer to the goal of transplanting healthy cells into humans
to replace cells damaged by diseases such as Parkinson's and
diabetes.
Hwang, Schatten and colleagues reported in the second paper that each
of the 11 new human embryonic stem cell lines was created by
transferring the nuclear genetic material from a non-reproductive
cell of a patient into a donated egg, or "oocyte," whose nucleus had
been removed.
Next, oocytes with patient genetic material were allowed to grow to
the blastocyst stage of embryo development. Stem cells were then
derived from the inner cell mass of the blastocyst. In laboratory
culture, these cell lines displayed signs of immunological
compatibility with the patients' cells, the authors reported.
At the time of submission, authors provided documentation to show
that oocyte donors were unpaid volunteers who signed informed-consent
agreements. (This information is now being corrected by Science.) A
related Policy Forum article in Science discussed international
oversight and ethical issues in oocyte donation.
- What consent-related information or supplemental materials were
published along with these Science papers? What did Science do to
ensure appropriate ethics guidelines were followed?
Science Editorial exercised unusually careful diligence prior to
acceptance of this paper, by reviewing documentation stating that
all egg donors were unpaid, un-coerced volunteers who had given prior
consent. Proper documentation -- in the form of a summary of the
informed consent process for the 2004 paper, and donor consent forms
and Institutional Review Board approval forms for the 2005 paper -
was published along with the research.
Specifically, the text of the 2004 paper and the related Supplemental
Online Material (SOM) stated that only unpaid, un-coerced egg
donations were used in the research. Specifically, the text and SOM
stated: Manuscript text read as follows: "Although expenses for
public transportation and injections administered by medical personnel
could have been provided, none of the donors requested this and
therefore no financial reimbursement in any form has been paid."
Supplemental Online Material read as follows: "Donors understood that
neither they nor their relatives would benefit from this research.
Donations were made without coercion or financial payment. Although
expenses for public transportation and injections administered by
medical personnel could have been provided, none of the donors
requested this reimbursement."
Science editors have prepared a correction related to oocyte
recruitment, related to the 2004 paper."
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Contribuições devem ser enviadas para o Editor do Boletim Eletrônico
da SBQ: Luizsbq@iqm.unicamp.br
Até nossa próxima edição!!!
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_________________________________________________________
Prof. Luiz Carlos Dias
Editor do Boletim Eletrônico
Sociedade Brasileira de Química - SBQ
e-mail: luizsbq@iqm.unicamp.br