South Korean prosecutors looking into fraud by a team led by the country's best known scientist said the group did not produce any human embryonic stem cells as they had claimed, a prosecution official said on Wednesday.
A Seoul National University panel investigating the case also reached the same conclusion about the work of the team led by the once heralded and now disgraced scientist, Hwang Woo-suk.
It said in a report earlier this month data was intentionally fabricated in two landmark papers published by the team — a 2004 paper on producing the first cloned human embryos for research and a 2005 paper on producing tailored embryonic stem cells.
"I can confirm that no human embryonic stem cells were found," a prosecution official said by telephone. The official declined to be identified or elaborate.
Prosecutors conducted DNA testing on nearly 100 cell groups that were a part of the studies from Hwang's team and found no evidence the team had produced any embryonic stem cells, local media reported, citing prosecution sources.
Prosecutors previously said they had questioned more than 30 people who were a part of the research and raided several dozen facilities, including Hwang's home and office.
Hwang is not believed to have been questioned by prosecutors yet, who are looking into whether he violated South Korean law by misappropriating state funds.
The scientist has said he is the victim of a conspiracy out to discredit him and blamed the fabricated data on junior researchers.
Hwang's research raised hopes among those suffering from ailments such as severe spinal cord injuries because it seemed to hasten the day when genetically specific tissue could be grown from embryonic stem cells to repair damaged bodies.
