The authors of accepted therapeutic cloning ... - The País.com (Spain)

study for the first time, describes the production of human embryonic stem cells by cloning has “small errors”, as acknowledged by the authors of the work, they say, do not affect the content or to the scientific conclusions of the research.

“The results are real, cell lines [derived embryonic stem cells] are real, everything is real,” said the Nature Shoukhrat Mitalipov of the OHSU (Oregon Health & , Science University), responsible for the test, in response to the doubts raised by the publication of the judgments.

warning jumped from a comment made PubPeer Internet portal, a platform that can be transferred anonymously opinions on scientific studies. In this case, the authors were accused of having repeated images and to confuse the cell types that were shown with incorrect captions.

Upon learning of the complaint, Mitalipov explained that he contacted the first author of the work, his partner Masahito Tachibana (in charge of gathering information for publication of research) and both confirmed the presence of “simple mistakes” so that have arisen post faith errors in Cell , released the magazine article. Mitalipov has described as “innocent”, faults because they refer to the work itself, but the process of collecting and preparing the data for publication.

Cell there was an extraordinary hurry to make public the work Mitalipov team. Since it was sent until the item was accepted only three days passed, and another 12 until it was published. Voices of the scientific community have suggested that perhaps they should have devoted more time to compare and verify the information submitted. Cell , however, defended the speed in the revision of the article, denying that it has been less demanding.

Kazakh origin researcher admits that perhaps he was also quick to move work to the magazine to publish it as soon as possible because of its intention to submit the results to the June meeting of the International Society for Cell Research Mother. “I may be precipitated, the problem has nothing to do with Cell” said. “It was my mistake.”

The object of labor, obtaining human embryonic stem cells with the same genetic makeup of an adult (ie, cloned) is analyzable and verifiable. The technique used is to empty a donated egg and incorporate their DNA DNA from an adult cell of another person so as to activate and multiply as you would an embryo. In a time of blastocyst development, is paralyzed, it destroys the embryo and the cells obtained are manipulated to develop lines (crops) phones.

the egg has mitochondria-organelles that provide energy to the cell, with its own DNA, stem cells obtained should have the DNA nucleus identical to the person who gave his adult cell but identical mitochondrial DNA of the egg donor.

Mitalipov has already said it will distribute the cell lines obtained for other research groups to analyze and check the for these features. “We will not hide these cell lines,” said Mitalipov, “we want people to confirm our results.”

complaint about the detected errors returned to present the case of Hwang Woo-suk, South Korean scientist who in 2005 announced the first cloning of human embryos, a work published Nature and eventually proved to be one of the greatest scientific frauds in history.

time, the errors found in the work of Mitalipov are not comparable to the deliberate manipulation of data of Hwang and his team at the University of Seoul. In fact, Cell, in a note issued in response to criticism triggered also believes that “it seems that the authors small errors incurred in the process of preparing the data” but ruled that judgments ” have an impact on scientific findings “of the investigation.