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Abstract

Hundreds of misleading reports are published every year containing data on human cancer cell lines that are derived from some other species, tissue or individual to that claimed. In consequence, millions of dollars provided for cancer research are being spent on the production of misleading data. This review describes how cross-contamination occurs, catalogues the use of false cell lines in leading biomedical journals, and suggests ways to resolve the problem.

DNA profiling analysis of endometrial and ovarian cell lines reveals misidentification, redundancy and contamination

“…Profiling of these cells (Table 3) indicated they are identical at all loci to HeLa cervical carcinoma cells, specifically the HeLaS3 variant. HES cells are also identical to WISH cells, a cell line originally described as derived from human amnion [61] but subsequently also identified as HeLa [7, 62, 63]. These results were independently confirmed by the STR fragment analysis facility at Johns Hopkins University (D. Kniss, Ohio State University; personal communication).…”

“…The origins and mechanisms of cell line contamination, including poor tissue culture technique, inadequate quality control, clerical and labeling errors, and aerosol transfer of cells, have been reviewed previously [63] and, despite best laboratory practices, are probably unavoidable. Accordingly, even among cell lines that exhibited unique profiles, we found examples, from all sources, of individual aliquots that were misidentified or contaminated, indicating a widespread and pervasive problem.…”

“…Accordingly, even among cell lines that exhibited unique profiles, we found examples, from all sources, of individual aliquots that were misidentified or contaminated, indicating a widespread and pervasive problem. STR profiling is a simple, widely available and relatively inexpensive method to document and authenticate cell lines, and has been recommended as an internationally accepted standard for human cells [22, 63, 97, 98]. Despite repeated calls for journals to require DNA profiling of cells for publication, this practice has not been widely adopted [63, 99].…”

“…STR profiling is a simple, widely available and relatively inexpensive method to document and authenticate cell lines, and has been recommended as an internationally accepted standard for human cells [22, 63, 97, 98]. Despite repeated calls for journals to require DNA profiling of cells for publication, this practice has not been widely adopted [63, 99]. Complacency and denial of the existence and extent of the problem with validation and authenticity of cell lines, while prevalent [7, 24, 63, 99], are antithetical to the conduct of responsible research in gynecologic oncology.…”

“…Despite repeated calls for journals to require DNA profiling of cells for publication, this practice has not been widely adopted [63, 99]. Complacency and denial of the existence and extent of the problem with validation and authenticity of cell lines, while prevalent [7, 24, 63, 99], are antithetical to the conduct of responsible research in gynecologic oncology.…”