The South Koreans have decided to hop on the human embryonic stem cell research merry-go-round again, conditionally lifting a ban on the use of human eggs in research says AFP.

But will the ethics safeguards put in place be enough to ensure that this time the fraud and ethics violations that Hwang Woo-Suk perpetrated will be avoided? We all know that putting research ethics requirements in place doesn’t mean that researchers will follow them, but the heightened awareness this time around certainly makes it more likely.

It is laudable that the “four conditions” placed on the researchers by the South Korean national bioethics committee do put a important emphasis on minimizing the number of human eggs used in research (in favor of animal eggs), getting informed consent from all donors, setting up a review committee, and reviewing all materials to prevent therapeutic misconception in potential participants in the study.

This seems to address many of the important issues at stake in stem cell research and early stage clinical trials. Perhaps South Korea is on its way to repairing its reputation as a stem cell leader and the damage done by Hwang Woo-Suk’s ethical breaches. Of course, the proof will have to be in the pudding, or shall we say, in the research.

Summer Johnson, PhD