Source hierarchy used by this handbook
- Exact supplier or originating-laboratory documentation for the culture or reagent in use.
- Validated institutional SOP, biosafety requirement and quality procedure.
- Public cell-bank guidance and recognized authentication or contamination resources.
- Peer-reviewed methodological and consensus literature.
- This handbook’s synthesis, which must remain qualified and traceable.
How references are used
A source supports the claim actually made; it is not added merely to make a page appear scientific. Product-specific parameters are not generalized to unrelated cultures. Review articles and AI output are not treated as substitutes for primary instructions.
Links are checked during substantive revisions. A broken link does not automatically invalidate the underlying source, but it should be reported and replaced with a stable record where possible.
Source register
Use these links to inspect the original institutional or peer-reviewed source.
- ATCC Animal Cell Culture Guide — General cell-culture handling, recovery, subculture, cryopreservation and contamination guidance from a public cell bank.
- ATCC Cell Line Authentication — Authentication rationale and available approaches.
- DSMZ Mycoplasma Detection Service — Public cell-bank information on mycoplasma testing services and methods.
- ICLAC Register of Misidentified Cell Lines — A maintained resource for known or suspected misidentified cell lines.
- Guidelines for the use of cell lines in biomedical research — Peer-reviewed recommendations on identity, provenance, contamination, culture practice and reporting.
- ATCC HeLa (CCL-2) product page — Example of why the exact source product page should take precedence over a generic HeLa protocol.