Cloned Dog Real, Other Hwang Research Not, Study Finds

Maryann Mott
for National Geographic News

January 11, 2006

Seoul National University officials have concluded their monthlong investigation into the work of former star scientist Woo Suk Hwang.

The findings, released yesterday, confirm that the South Korean fabricated key research, including claims to have cloned the first human embryo in 2004 and patient-specific stem cell lines last year.

For Hwang, the review offered one bright spot, however. Snuppy, a black-and-tan Afghan hound, really is the world's first cloned dog.

Hwang created the floppy-eared male puppy last year through a process known as somatic-cell nuclear transfer—the same method that produced Dolly the sheep, the first successfully cloned mammal.

Hwang's dog-cloning feat was questioned after misconduct claims regarding his other research surfaced in November.

The journal Nature, which published Hwang's dog-cloning study, initiated independent DNA tests to verify Hwang's claims.

The new tests included DNA fingerprinting analysis of blood samples from Snuppy; from Tai, the dog that donated the cell nucleus that was later cloned; and from unrelated Afghan hounds.

Elaine Ostrander at the National Human Genome Research Institute in Bethesda, Maryland, led the outside review for Nature.

"This is indeed a valid cloning of a dog from adult somatic cells," Ostrander said in a teleconference with reporters Tuesday.

The genetics expert said the blood samples were supplied to her lab by Kwon Chung, a member of Seoul National University's investigative committee.

In late December similar tests by a Korean laboratory also confirmed that Snuppy (short for Seoul National University puppy) is a clone.

As a result of the controversy surrounding Hwang's work, Ostrander says, peer-reviewed journals will now employ added safeguards to verify the findings of important studies.

"In hindsight [it seems that] this sort of validation should be done on this kind of scientific breakthrough," she said.

Dog Clone

Dogs are notoriously difficult to clone because of reproductive challenges, such as infrequent fertile periods in females. Other mammals have much more frequent and regular cycles.

It took more than a hundred embryo transfers into surrogate canine mothers over a three-year period to produce Snuppy.

"Going through an extended process in order to clone one dog means that this isn't something that every dog owner is going to be doing in order to replace a favorite pet," Ostrander said.

However, cats have proved easier to copy.

In February 2004, Genetic Savings and Clone, based in Sausalito, California, began offering commercial cat-cloning services to individual owners.

Since then, several felines have been duplicated for owners willing to pay the U.S. $32,000 price tag.

The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) plans to introduce a bill into the U.S. Congress this year. If passed, the bill would ban the sale of cloned pets.

HSUS President Wayne Pacelle said cloned animals are often born deformed and have physical problems that diminish their quality of life.

"The practice is inhumane and unnecessary," he said.

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