Authenticating Cell Lines in Ophthalmic Research Laboratories

摘要

Authentication of cell lines in biomedical research has been elevated to a very high priority. In a review of the literature, Lacroix examined the issue of cross-contamination of cell lines including the well-known contamination of cell lines with HeLa cells, and the misidentification of the ECV304 cell line as "immortalized endothelial cells" when these cells in fact originated from T24 bladder carcinoma cells. Lacroix estimated that between 18% and 36% of cell lines have been misclassified. One survey at a large research institution suggested that fewer than 50% of researchers authenticate their cell lines. Nardone proposed recently that identification of cell lines be required of investigators before grants are awarded, and the National Institutes of Health subsequently called for researchers to authenticate cell lines as a prerequisite for grant funding.