Over the past decades it was shown that a substantial proportion of cell lines is mislabelled or replaced partially or completely by cells derived from a different source, e.g. individual, tissue or species. Therefore, monitoring the identity of cell lines from the start until the end of experimental work should be applied routinely in research to detect cellular cross-contamination and avoid erroneous results. The International Cell Line Authentication Committee (ICLAC) is continuously updating its register of misidentified cell lines (mostly human samples, see https://iclac.org/databases/cross-contaminations/).

STR profiling of DNA is a suitable and recommended method for cell line authentication that is established at the CCG. It can be performed by analysing a panel of up to 23 mainly autosomal STR markers using multiplex PCR and capillary gel electrophoresis. The resulting STR profile is preferably compared to the profile of original donor or to profile of the cell line in public databases. Furthermore, the STR profiling can be used for the authentication of DNA samples from different sources like blood, buccal swaps or tissue in order to detect sample swapping.

Please contact ccg-genotypinguni-koeln.de for more information.