Just weeks after the world's first cloned wolves were announced by South Korean scientists, an investigation has been launched to verify the research.
According to a study released March 26, two gray wolf clones were created by a team from Seoul National University, led by veterinarian Byeong-chun Lee.
Disgraced stem-cell researcher Woo Suk Hwang is also listed as one of the study's authors.
Officials from the university announced yesterday that blood and cell samples from the two females, named SnuWolf and SnuWolffy, had been sent to an outside agency for analysis.
The officials said they suspected the team used erroneous data to inflate their claims.
Lee had previously collaborated with Hwang, who was found last year to have fabricated key stem cell research, including claims to have cloned the first human embryo.
In 2005 both Hwang and Lee were part of a team that created Snuppy, the first cloned domestic canine.
The dog-cloning feat was questioned after claims of Hwang's misconduct surfaced, but an independent DNA test verified that the black-and-tan Afghan hound was indeed a clone.
(See photos of Snuppy the dog clone.)
Upon release of the wolf study, Lee and his colleagues had said that Hwang was not directly involved in the research, because Hwang had resigned following the stem-cell scandal.
Mistakes Found in Wolf Study
Officials launched the current investigation after they learned of errors in the wolf-clone report.
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