The Yomiuri Shimbun concluded Friday that a Japanese researcher's claim that his team had successfully conducted the world's first clinical application of induced pluripotent stem cells was false and that its reports based on the man's accounts were incorrect.

Hisashi Moriguchi, 48, who claimed to be a visiting lecturer at Harvard University, told The Yomiuri Shimbun that a Harvard University team he was on had created cardiac muscle cells from iPS cells and transplanted them into six patients suffering from serious heart conditions in the United States.

However, suspicions emerged regarding the credibility of Moriguchi's research studies after the story was reported.

It was revealed Friday that a university lecturer who was identified as a coauthor of a paper by Moriguchi on iPS cells was not involved in the writing of it. Harvard University officials and other experts also rejected the credibility of Moriguchi's claims.

Based on these revelations, The Yomiuri Shimbun concluded that Moriguchi gave false explanations to Yomiuri reporters and as a result a series of its reports based on his explanations were incorrect.

Moriguchi had told a Yomiuri Shimbun reporter that an academic paper summarizing his research on cardiac muscle cell transplantation was to be published in the science journal Nature Protocols.

The paper listed five coauthors, including Moriguchi. But the university lecturer denied his involvement Friday when he was contacted by The Yomiuri Shimbun.

"I haven't seen Mr. Moriguchi for about five years. I had no idea my name was being used on the research paper," he said.

A university professor also listed as a coauthor said he had asked Moriguchi about approval by the Harvard University ethics committee.

Moriguchi reportedly told him that the process had been "cleared." However, Harvard University authorities denied that its ethics committee had approved stem cell treatment.

In another paper that Moriguchi sent to Nature Protocols last month, a university research assistant was listed as a coauthor. But the researcher reportedly denied being involved. "I was unaware of this. I wasn't involved in the research," he was quoted as telling university authorities.

Moriguchi also claimed he belonged to the iPS cell bank laboratory of the faculty of medicine at the University of Tokyo. But university authorities said the school has no such laboratory.

Regarding research Moriguchi claimed to have jointly conducted with Tokyo Medical and Dental University, the university released a statement Friday saying no such research had been performed at the school.

Both The University of Tokyo Hospital and Tokyo Medical and Dental University announced the same day that they would look into the credibility of research Moriguchi is believed to have been involved in. (The Daily Yomiuri/ANN)

<관련 한글 기사.

일본판 황우석 사태? “거짓말 죄송”

유도만능줄기세포(iPS 세포)를 사람에 처음 이식했다는 제보로 요미우리신문의 대형 오보를 유발한 일본의 모리구치 히사시(森口尙史•48) 도쿄대 연구원이 기자회견을 열어 자신의 제보가 거짓말이었다고 인정 했다.

뉴욕에 머물고 있는 모리구치는 13일(현지시간) 기자회견을 열어 요미우리신문에 자신이 제보한 6건의 iPS 심근 세포 사람 이식 수술 가운데 5건은 거짓말이었다고 말했다.

그는 6건 가운데 5건은 "앞으로 수술 예정이었다"고 말을 바꾼 뒤 거짓말은 자신의 책임이며, "매우 죄송하다"고 말했다.

그는 그러나 한 건의 수술은 이뤄졌다고 주장했으며, 요미우리신문에 보도된 올해 2월이 아니라 작년 6월이었다고 시기를 수정했다.

하지만, 이 한 건에 대해서도 "매사추세츠 종합병원의 (수술) 승인은 받았으나, 실제 수술은 보스턴 시내의 별도 장소에서 했다"고 횡설설수설하는 등 취재진을 농락했다.

매사추세츠 종합병원은 모리구치에게 iPS 수술을 승인한 적이 없다고 즉시 부인했다.

일본 언론의 조사 결과 모리구치의 경력이나 연구실적은 대부분 허위로 드러났다.

요미우리신문은 13일 iPS 심근 세포 사람 이식 관련 기사가 오보라고 인정하고 사죄했다.

이 신문은 지난 11일 조간 톱기사로 일본인 연구자 모리구치가 포함된 미국 하버드대학 연구팀이 iPS 세포로 심근 세포를 만들어 중증의 심부전증 환자에게 이식했다고 보도했다.