Despite the ethical controversy surrounding stem cell pioneer Hwang Woo-suk, his research team has continued to churn out theses and patents for global publication.

The team is known to have had 45 theses published in academic journals abroad since last year.

Led by Hwang and researchers Lee Byung-chun and Kang Sung-keun, the team has applied for a patent for its first success, the cloning of a cow using the anti-emphysema enzyme alpha-1 antitrypsin.

The veterinary journal Theriogenology has posted the team's discovery of the enzyme on its homepage.

Four more theses are under review, and the team has conceived scores of cows and pigs in the form of cloned body cells in two farms.

Researcher Lee said the controversy has not affected the team's determination to further its study, and that members have continued their work without rest.