Immortalized or continuous cell lines are invaluable tools in basic and preclinical research. However, the widespread use of misidentified cell lines is a serious threat to scientific reproducibility. Based on the experiences of mandatory cell line authentication at the International Journal of Cancer (IJC), we provide an overview of the issues pertinent to misidentified cell lines and discuss available solutions. We also summarize the lessons learned, revealing that at least 5% of the human cell lines used in manuscripts considered for peer review are misidentified. About 4% of the considered manuscripts are rejected for severe cell line problems, and most are subsequently published in other journals. In order to diminish such malpractice and its consequences for the scientific record, we postulate that strict multi-layered quality control is essential. Besides journals and publishers, we encourage scientists, research institutions, and funders to take action on the matter and revise their respective policies. Hence, we provide concrete recommendations on introducing regular authentication schemes and staff training, and discuss future steps for enhancing good cell culture practices.

中文翻译：

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细胞系鉴定：可重复性生物医学研究的必要性

永生化或连续细胞系是基础和临床前研究中的宝贵工具。然而，错误识别细胞系的广泛使用是对科学可重复性的严重威胁。基于国际癌症杂志( IJC ) 强制细胞系认证的经验)，我们概述了与错误识别的细胞系相关的问题并讨论了可用的解决方案。我们还总结了经验教训，表明在考虑进行同行评审的手稿中使用的人类细胞系中至少有 5% 被错误识别。大约 4% 的被考虑手稿因严重的细胞系问题而被拒绝，大部分随后发表在其他期刊上。为了减少此类不当行为及其对科学记录的影响，我们假设严格的多层次质量控制是必不可少的。除了期刊和出版商，我们鼓励科学家、研究机构和资助者就此事采取行动并修改各自的政策。因此，我们就引入定期认证方案和员工培训提供具体建议，