BioCentury
ARTICLE | Tools & Techniques

Genentech's cell point

Genentech reports its naming system and protocols for cell line authentication

April 30, 2015 7:00 AM UTC

Researchers at Roche's Genentech Inc. unit have put a stake in the ground on how they advocate tackling cell line authentication, with recommendations for a standardized naming system and a three-step method to verify the identity of new cell lines and monitor them for contamination. But it's not clear how widely adopted the protocol will be, as some stakeholders believe the approach is too costly for academics and researchers in smaller companies.

Cell line authentication is generally considered one of the major sources of irreproducibility in preclinical research. The problem was highlighted in a meeting last November organized by the Global Biological Standards Institute (GBSI), which convened a panel of experts that included Richard Neve, scientist for discovery oncology at Genentech, to discuss the topic. ...