A lot of my technical writing is concerned with clinical trials, so I was especially interested in last night's edition of File on Four, which explained how many researchers are using wrongly-identified or contaminated cell lines in their cancer research. Examples included studies on breast cancer using ovarian cells, and "human" brain cells including mouse or rat DNA.
Validation of such cultures only costs a couple of hundred pounds, and some strains have been known as wrong for over 20 years, but are still being used today.
One of the big incentives for researchers is to get their work published in peer-reviewed publications like Nature. But a representative blustered in a very political way when asked 'why not insist on the validation of cultures before allowing publication?'
Likewise, a government spokesman refused to give a straight answer, and Cancer Research UK wouldn't even be interviewed.
I know scientists are human beings like the rest of us, but I had expected more than the dissembly, obfuscation and disingenousness exposed in this very revealing programme. Listen again while you can - or Podcast if you must.
Will you be giving to cancer charities knowing they carelessly waste your money like this?
26/11/07 @ 13:19