Why You Should Avoid Using Contaminated Cell Lines

Recently, we received an inquiry from a researcher who came across studies involving the MGC-803 cell line and asked where it could be obtained. Upon investigation and verification, we confirmed that the MGC-803 cell line has been contaminated with HeLa cells. Therefore, if you are conducting or planning research related to gastric cancer, we strongly recommend using alternative, uncontaminated cell lines to ensure experimental accuracy and reliability.

In this article, we’ll discuss how to determine whether a cell line is contaminated and why it is strongly advised not to use them.

How to Determine If a Cell Line Is Contaminated

To address cell line contamination, we must first introduce the International Cell Line Authentication Committee (ICLAC).

What is ICLAC?

Founded in 2012, ICLAC works to identify and raise awareness of misidentified and contaminated cell lines. The organization promotes cell line authentication to reduce and eventually eliminate the use of such problematic cell lines.

ICLAC regularly collects and publishes updates on misidentified and contaminated cell lines to warn researchers. As of its 13th edition (April 26, 2024), the ICLAC database includes 593 cell lines flagged as misidentified or contaminated.

Why You Should Avoid Using Contaminated Cell Lines

When a cell line is identified as contaminated, several critical reasons explain why it must be avoided:

Misidentification:

This issue arises when a cell line is initially classified incorrectly. For example, the Caki-2 cell line was originally thought to derive from clear cell renal carcinoma but was later reclassified as originating from papillary renal cell carcinoma. Although the cells themselves remain viable, such misidentification can lead to incorrect experimental assumptions if the lineage or origin is crucial to the study.

Partial Contamination

In some cases, only certain sources of a cell line are contaminated. For instance, the Eca-109 cell line has been reported to show partial HeLa cell contamination in samples obtained from specific cell banks. However, uncontaminated Eca-109 cell lines can still be acquired from trusted repositories. Researchers must carefully verify the source of their cell lines to ensure purity and prevent compromised results.

Origin Contamination

The most severe issue occurs when a cell line is contaminated at its origin. This means that contamination occurred during the initial establishment of the cell line. For example, the MGC-803 cell line has been definitively confirmed as contaminated with HeLa cells. As a result, all MGC-803 cell stocks available worldwide are unsuitable for research. Using such a cell line invalidates experimental outcomes and risks significant scientific repercussions.

Using contaminated or misidentified cell lines can lead to serious issues, including:

• Unreliable experimental data: Results obtained using contaminated cells cannot be trusted or reproduced.

• Wasted resources and time: Conducting experiments with compromised cell lines wastes valuable research time, funding, and materials.

• Harm to scientific integrity: Publishing studies based on contaminated cell lines undermines the credibility of the research and can damage a scientist’s reputation.

• Ethical and legal challenges: Misleading data may lead to ethical violations or legal implications, especially in clinical or translational research.

Conclusion

Before conducting any research, it is essential to verify the authenticity and purity of the cell lines you plan to use. By consulting reliable resources such as the ICLAC database, researchers can ensure their cell lines are uncontaminated and up-to-date.

Ensuring the accuracy and integrity of cell lines is fundamental to producing robust, reliable, and reproducible experimental results—ultimately driving progress in scientific research.