Hiding in Plain View: Genetic Profiling Reveals Decades Old Cross Contamination of Bladder Cancer Cell Line KU7 with HeLa

Abstract

Our analysis identified that cross contamination of KU7 with HeLa occurred before 1984 at the source institution. All KU7 clones in the urological literature should be considered HeLa and experimental results should be viewed in this light. Our results emphasize the need to authenticate cell lines in oncological research.