Depositing Cell Lines Helps Reduce Misidentification

Have you or one of your lab members established a novel cell line?

You can deposit that cell line at CellBank Australia.

Depositing at a cell bank helps reduce the problem of misidentified cell lines.

The mystery of MDA-MB-435 and corresponding cell line M14 was only solved by testing 40 year old samples from a biospecimen repository - See MDA-MB-435 Mystery Solved Using 40 Year Old Samples.

Biospecimen repositories provide essential resources for the research community. Material deposits are handled and stored using standardised procedures, to ensure they can be used many years into the future.

A cell bank is a specialised biospecimen repository that focuses on cell lines and their unique challenges. Misidentified cell lines can be detected through authentication testing, which is now an essential part of the deposit process.

Quality control testing for cell lines includes short tandem repeat (STR) profiling for human cell lines, DNA barcoding for non-human cell lines, and testing for mycoplasma and other microbial contaminants.

Depositing your cell line also means that it is stored securely and will not be lost if liquid nitrogen storage malfunctions or laboratories shut down in future.

CellBank Australia takes on the burden of multiple shipments when the cell line is requested by colleagues nationally or internationally.

For more information about CellBank Australia’s deposit process, download our flyer “Bank for the Future: Depositing Cell Lines”.