Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Cell Lines: Reliable Alternatives to Primary Nasopharyngeal Cells?
Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a type of cancer that originates from the mucosal lining of the nasopharynx and can invade and spread. Although contemporary chemoradiotherapy effectively manages the disease locally, there are still challenges with locoregional recurrence and distant failure. There...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2024-03-01
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| Series: | Cells |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/13/7/559 |
| _version_ | 1827286881690189824 |
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| author | Anna Makowska Ralf Weiskirchen |
| author_facet | Anna Makowska Ralf Weiskirchen |
| author_sort | Anna Makowska |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a type of cancer that originates from the mucosal lining of the nasopharynx and can invade and spread. Although contemporary chemoradiotherapy effectively manages the disease locally, there are still challenges with locoregional recurrence and distant failure. Therefore, it is crucial to have a deeper understanding of the molecular basis of NPC cell movement in order to develop a more effective treatment and to improve patient survival rates. Cancer cell line models are invaluable in studying health and disease and it is not surprising that they play a critical role in NPC research. Consequently, scientists have established around 80 immortalized human NPC lines that are commonly used as in vitro models. However, over the years, it has been observed that many cell lines are misidentified or contaminated by other cells. This cross-contamination leads to the creation of false cell lines that no longer match the original donor. In this commentary, we discuss the impact of misidentified NPC cell lines on the scientific literature. We found 1159 articles from 2000 to 2023 that used NPC cell lines contaminated with HeLa cells. Alarmingly, the number of publications and citations using these contaminated cell lines continued to increase, even after information about the contamination was officially published. These articles were most commonly published in the fields of oncology, pharmacology, and experimental medicine research. These findings highlight the importance of science policy and support the need for journals to require authentication testing before publication. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T10:47:27Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-21fbdd3f004e4d43812d7fc88344a9be |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4409 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T10:47:27Z |
| publishDate | 2024-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Cells |
| spelling | doaj.art-21fbdd3f004e4d43812d7fc88344a9be2024-04-12T13:16:23ZengMDPI AGCells2073-44092024-03-0113755910.3390/cells13070559Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Cell Lines: Reliable Alternatives to Primary Nasopharyngeal Cells?Anna Makowska0Ralf Weiskirchen1Division of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Stem Cell Transplantation, RWTH University Hospital Aachen, D-52074 Aachen, GermanyInstitute of Molecular Pathobiochemistry, Experimental Gene Therapy and Clinical Chemistry (IFMPEGKC), RWTH University Hospital Aachen, D-52074 Aachen, GermanyNasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a type of cancer that originates from the mucosal lining of the nasopharynx and can invade and spread. Although contemporary chemoradiotherapy effectively manages the disease locally, there are still challenges with locoregional recurrence and distant failure. Therefore, it is crucial to have a deeper understanding of the molecular basis of NPC cell movement in order to develop a more effective treatment and to improve patient survival rates. Cancer cell line models are invaluable in studying health and disease and it is not surprising that they play a critical role in NPC research. Consequently, scientists have established around 80 immortalized human NPC lines that are commonly used as in vitro models. However, over the years, it has been observed that many cell lines are misidentified or contaminated by other cells. This cross-contamination leads to the creation of false cell lines that no longer match the original donor. In this commentary, we discuss the impact of misidentified NPC cell lines on the scientific literature. We found 1159 articles from 2000 to 2023 that used NPC cell lines contaminated with HeLa cells. Alarmingly, the number of publications and citations using these contaminated cell lines continued to increase, even after information about the contamination was officially published. These articles were most commonly published in the fields of oncology, pharmacology, and experimental medicine research. These findings highlight the importance of science policy and support the need for journals to require authentication testing before publication.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/13/7/559nasopharyngeal carcinomaHeLa cell linecross-contaminationSTR profiling |
| spellingShingle | Anna Makowska Ralf Weiskirchen Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Cell Lines: Reliable Alternatives to Primary Nasopharyngeal Cells? Cells nasopharyngeal carcinoma HeLa cell line cross-contamination STR profiling |
| title | Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Cell Lines: Reliable Alternatives to Primary Nasopharyngeal Cells? |
| title_full | Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Cell Lines: Reliable Alternatives to Primary Nasopharyngeal Cells? |
| title_fullStr | Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Cell Lines: Reliable Alternatives to Primary Nasopharyngeal Cells? |
| title_full_unstemmed | Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Cell Lines: Reliable Alternatives to Primary Nasopharyngeal Cells? |
| title_short | Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Cell Lines: Reliable Alternatives to Primary Nasopharyngeal Cells? |
| title_sort | nasopharyngeal carcinoma cell lines reliable alternatives to primary nasopharyngeal cells |
| topic | nasopharyngeal carcinoma HeLa cell line cross-contamination STR profiling |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/13/7/559 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT annamakowska nasopharyngealcarcinomacelllinesreliablealternativestoprimarynasopharyngealcells AT ralfweiskirchen nasopharyngealcarcinomacelllinesreliablealternativestoprimarynasopharyngealcells |