The ability to repeat previously published observations in
scientific research is important for confirming new discoveries.
If previous data are not repeatable, it is doubtful that anyone
will continue to pursue that work. Much of biomedical
research—medicine, genetics, drug discovery, vaccine
development, reconstructive medicine, basic science, HIV
testing/treatment, and cell biology—is done with cultured cells
obtained from major repositories such as American Type Culture
Collection (ATCC) or from fellow researchers. An estimated
15–20% of the time, cells used in experiments have been
misidentified or cross-contaminated with another cell line .
ATCC, along with the Coriell Institute for Medical Research,
European Collection of Cell Cultures (ECACC), Deutsche Sammlung
von Mikrorganismen and Zellkulturen (DSMZ), and the Japanese
Collection of Research Resources, all have received cell line
submissions that, upon authentication, were determined to have
been misidentified by the depositor . This poses a huge th