The Stem Cell

by Shirley Ahn

During every high school break, I partook in several stem cell research projects in Seoul as an intern. My first internship was under Dr. Hwang Woo-Suk at Seoul National University Veterinary School. Dr. Hwang, who unfortunately fell from grace later, was still at the pinnacle of his career as a renowned pioneer of stem cell research.

On the first day of my internship, several researchers in Dr. Hwang’s laboratory and I visited a pig farm to transfer the humanized pig embryo into one of the pigs so that that pig would give birth to a cloned baby pig. It was not an easy task. We had to first disinfect and anesthetize the pig while it thrashed violently on a table and squealed as if it was in its death throes. Eventually, we successfully transplanted the embryo in the pig’s uterus.

A few days later, I followed one of the researchers to the Garak Market, a huge wholesale market, to collect pig and cow ovaries from one of the slaughterhouses there. I had to collect pig and cow ovaries from the metal boxes that contained the discarded intestines and organs of the slaughtered animals, which was uncomfortable but necessary. After collecting enough ovaries, we went back to the laboratory to extract oocytes from those fresh ovaries.

On the last day of my internship that week, I was lucky to witness the birth of cloned baby pigs. Although their mother died shortly after, it was like a miracle to watch those tiny black baby pigs emerge from their mother’s womb. Then it hit me. If our science was advanced enough to clone baby pigs, what could we not do? Maybe we could do all kinds of wondrous things with human organs and cells! The infinite possibilities of science were all I could think of on my way home that evening.

Looking back on that summer, I am saddened to think how Dr. Hwang’s desire to achieve fame at all costs ultimately brought about his downfall. Nevertheless, I feel fortunate for having had the privilege to intern for Dr. Hwang and am glad that his animal stem cell research still remains valid. I have learned that cutting-edge scientific research takes extremely hard work and a very long time to bear fruit. It can involve intimidating experiences, such as going to a pig farm to wrestle with pigs or going to a local slaughterhouse to collect discarded animal organs. My experience that summer has taught me that a dedicated scientist does not stay confined in a modern hygienic laboratory, but goes anywhere he needs to in order to further his research. With that experience, I am determined to be that dedicated scientist who overcomes barriers to discover new knowledge or technology for the better of our society, whether the situation involves an intimidating pig or endless trials and errors without seeing the end of a long tunnel.