Please find below a number of documents which are related to standardisation and safety issues in Animal Cell Technology. 

Recently a Japanese group (Li et al.in J. Virol., doi:10.1128/JVI.00807-07, published online ahead of print on 8 August 2007) working on the development of the production of hepatitis E virus-like particles by infecting High Five insect cells (BTI-TN-5B1-4 (Tn5)) with recombinant baculovirus has observed the appearance of unknown viral particles with diameter of 35 nm containing RNA. 

Otto-Wilhelm Merten comments on this article in his editorial for Cytotechnology.

The use of cross-contaminated cell lines in cancer and biomedical research in general is an important problem and is increasing. Consequently, a significant proportion of the literature using cell lines is misleading or false, tainting up to 20% of the publications. Thus ESACT has decided to install this weblink to the white paper on 'Eradication of Cross-Contaminated Cell Lines' by R. Nardone in order to increase the attention of everybody active in animal cell biology and technology to this very old problem in order to improve the quality and, in particular, the relevance of scientific results obtained by using different animal cells. It is evident that the final aim of everybody active in this field is the eradication of this problem which, in principle, can be rather easily attained by doing more specific and basic controls of the cell lines in use. 

Cross-contamination is a general problem in animal cell culture and it seems that this persistent calamity will never end. This is almost a scientific conclusion because since the existence of animal cells and cell lines in culture (since the early fifties when the HeLa cell line was established) cross contaminations between different cell lines have been observed. Many scientific groups have performed studies with a certain cell line and finally after a more profound characterisation of this cell line it appeared to be another one, often a HeLa subclone. This Science News Article “Cases of Mistaken Identity” provides an historical update on this problem and proposes actions (to a large extent based on recommendations by Nardone (white paper on ‘Eradication of Cross-Contaminated Cell Lines: A Call for Action) to eradicate this problem. 

Good Cell Culture Practice 

Guidance on Good Cell Culture Practice: A Report of the Second ECVAM Task Force on Good Cell Culture Practice 176 kb 

Fundamental Issues for Cell-Line Banks in Biotechnology and Regulatory Affairs, by Glyn Stacey 241 kb 

Industry is performing cell culture under GLP and/or GMP conditions according to specific needs; however, many research labs often lack even a minimum of control in cell culture processes. Thus the aim of the guidance document is to promote the maintenance of high standards (for maintaining reproducibility, reliability, credibility, and acceptance) and to reduce uncertainty in the development and application of animal and human cell and tissue culture procedures and products, by encouraging greater international harmonisation, rationalisation and standardisation of laboratory practice, quality control systems, safety procedures, recording and reporting, and compliance with laws, regulations and ethical principles.