News
17-September 2010 – New
human cell line profiling service from LGC
Standards
LGC Standards helps improve the quality of UK medical
research data with human cell line profiling service
LGC
Standards has launched a new service to help researchers
establish the identity of the human immortal cell lines used in
their laboratory. The service utilises short tandem repeat (STR)
profiling, a widely used technique established in forensic
science.
In the quest to discover new therapeutic drugs and drug targets,
cell based in-vitro models of a specific human disease or organ
target are used in preference to animal models. The most common of
these in-vitro model systems is the immortal human cell line, which
can be used to mimic particular characteristics of their original
organ as either ‘normal’ tissue or be representative of a specific
disease state. Breast cancer research, for instance, commonly
utilises cancer cell lines derived from actual breast tumours in
testing the efficacy of potential chemotherapeutics.
Recent studies however, have indicated that as many as
16%(1) of these cell lines used in research are either
misidentified or contaminated. In late 2007, journalist Tom
Fielden, presented a programme (as part of BBC Radio 4’s File on 4
investigative series) in which he claimed that millions of pounds
of charity money were being wasted by researchers who were working
with cell lines that were not what they believed them to be. The
full extent of this situation was recently highlighted by the
publication of the ATCC® Standards
Development Organisation working group’s Perspective publication in
the journal Nature Reviews Cancer(2). This Perspective
identified STR profiling as the preferred method of in-vitro human
cell line authentication.
The routine screening of cell lines used to model disease in
medical research is increasingly recognised as an important tool in
ensuring the quality of published research data, data which is
supported by grants from both government and charitable
organisations across the UK. Science funding in the UK was a key
element of a speech by Vince Cable, MP on Wednesday 8 September at
Queen Mary, University of London, in which he highlighted the UK
Government’s commitment to “funding excellence in research and back
research teams of international quality – and screen out
mediocrity”.
LGC Standards is able to provide unrivalled support to
researchers as they work through the process of authenticating
their cell lines. Working with UK police forces and government
departments, LGC is the largest independent provider of STR
profiling services in the UK. The facilities and equipment at LGC
are state-of-the-art and are supported by DNA analysts who are
internationally recognised, working on high profile projects such
as the recent identification of unknown Australian WW1 soldiers
discovered in a mass grave at Fromelles,
France.
Our widely renowned DNA analysts and our relationship with ATCC,
the world’s most cited cell line biorepository enables LGC
Standards to provide an unrivalled level of service and support in
the field of cell line identification and as a premium service we
are also able to provide authentication of cell lines used in
research to ISO 17025 accredited standards.
For further information on cell line authentication at LGC
Standards please contact atcc@lgcstandards.com or tel:
+44 (0)20 8943 8489.
References
(1) McCormick;
BioTechniques, Vol. 45, No.1, 2008.
(2) Nature
Reviews Cancer, AOP, published online 7 May 2010
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Notes to
editors