Ongoing research project

Cell line control and identification

Cultured human and animal cells are indispensable in biomedical research. There are many different types of cell lines and some are also genetically modified. Many of the cell lines are ‘immortal’ and have been cultivated and distributed among laboratories for many years. Due to cross-contamination with other cell lines, errors in the characterization of cell lines, incorrect labeling and unintentional mix-ups, different cell lines are sometimes used than is expected. The problem of contaminated or incorrectly identified or contaminated cell lines not only affects laboratories, but also biobanks.

The consequences of misidentification of cell lines can be significant: Research conclusions can be unreliable or erroneous, and pose safety risks. For example, testing viral vectors on an incorrect cell line may lead to an erroneous conclusion about the non-replicative nature of the vector or result in complementation or recombination of the vector by/with genetic elements present in cell lines. In addition, cells can be used at too low a containment level.

The size and nature of the problem has been recognized in recent years by many stakeholders. Guidelines have been established and methods have been devised to identify and verify cell lines. Several scientific journals request verification of the cell lines used and reference laboratories have emerged to perform such verifications. However, this does not mean that the problem is now completely under control or eliminated.

With this study, COGEM wants to gain insight into the severity of the above-mentioned problems in the Netherlands, with a view on possible environmental risks.