The lead author of two controversial STAP cell papers arrived Wednesday at an office of the government-affiliated Riken research institute in Kobe to participate in experiments to verify the findings of her research once touted as trailblazing.
Haruko Obokata, 30, will participate in the experiments for five months until Nov. 30 at Riken's Center for Developmental Biology to find out if STAP cells can be reproduced to confirm their existence. The institute said it will secure transparency by video recording her experiments and through other means.
Obokata's participation was scheduled to start on Tuesday, but she skipped the first day due to poor health, according to Riken.