Editorial

Abstract

Editorial

Both the confidence of the international scientific community and the public hopes risen by stem cell technology were shaken one year ago by what is called the Korean stem cell scandal. The forgery conducted by one of Korea's major scientists led to several fundamental questions. Some of them refer to ethical aspects, while others concern legal facets: Are law and ethics really able to control scientific research in the field of biotechnology and biomedicine ? Which effects are exerted by the ”publish or perish” policy as well as the commercialisation of basic research on the quality of scientific work ? Is the practical relevance of stem cell research overestimated ? Has the relationship between principal researchers and their staff to be reviewed or even controlled according to tightened ethical and legal standards ?