Question: How do you think your reasearch can be miss used?

Matthew Tomlinson answered on 19 Nov 2013:

That’s an interesting question, I think there are many ways science can be misused but it is mostly in terms of misleading people, or lying to them. My work is about repairing damaged tissue and so it is about helping people live healthier, more productive lives, although not necessarily longer lives. I don’t know if it could be misused as the cells I use are only really good for making bone and maybe fat, they aren’t like embryonic stem cells that can form tumours.

I think the biggest misuse of stem cell therapy at the moment is happening in clinics which are offering treatments to cure all sorts of diseases using stem cells from fat and bone marrow. These places make wild claims about what the cells can do and charge huge amounts of money when there really isn’t any evidence that the cells can do what these people say. I think these clinics are being cracked down on but they could really damage the reputation of the field if they are allowed to carry on.