DDC (DNA Diagnostics Center), one of the largest DNA testing companies in the world, announces its new partnership with Dr. Pelish and the Chemistry and Chemical Biology Department at Harvard University to authenticate cell lines used in its research projects. DDC is also proud to announce university affiliations with the University of Virginia’s Department of Pathology and the University of Iowa’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, among others.
Peter Vitulli, President and CEO of DDC, explains, “Recently a National Standard was created, requiring DNA testing for tissue culture authentication. There are a number of reasons that the National Standard was developed, including the fact that tissue cell cultures used in a variety of biomedical research areas are often misidentified. This misidentification leads to inappropriate conclusions, withdrawal of scientific papers, and wasted resources. DDC is recognized as a leader in Cell Line Authentication, and as a result, we have formed partnerships with prestigious universities to provide this service. The testing recommended by the new National Standard, STR analysis, is a core strength of DDC, and over the past year we have been working with researchers, biotechnology companies, and drug development leaders to provide the testing services to authenticate their cell lines.”
According to a recent publication by the American Type Culture Collection Standards Development Organization (ATCC SDO), ASN-0002: “Authentication of Human Cell Lines: Standardization of STR Profiling” discusses the need to use DNA testing methods to verify the authenticity of human cell lines used in a wide variety of research activities. This consensus National Standard will have a profound impact on researchers involved with basic cell biology research, drug discovery, stem cell research, and translational medicine. In addition, it should have a significant impact on the issue of tissue cell line misidentification.
In addition to cell line authentication services, DDC provides testing to identify contamination by other human cell lines as well as bacteria like mycoplasma, a common contaminant of cell culture. DDC is also able to provide species identification for researchers that work with cell lines from multiple species. Samples can be provided to DDC in the form of cell pellets, isolated DNA, or cells spotted to FTA cards with testing completed in 5 days. Many scientific peer review journals now require cell line authentication in order to publish and this trend is likely to increase.

About DDC (DNA Diagnostics Center)

DDC is one of the largest DNA testing companies in the world. Founded 17 years ago, DDC offers comprehensive DNA testing services for paternity and other family relationships, forensics, cell line authentication, and ancestry. DDC receives more than 800,000 consumer calls each year, and will perform approximately 500,000 DNA tests in 2012. The Company is known for its groundbreaking technologies, including an exclusive license for the most innovative and accurate non-invasive prenatal paternity test using SNP (single-nucleotide polymorphism) Microarray Technology, which only requires a simple blood draw from the mother and alleged father. DDC’s unique Dual Process™ ensures all professionally collected DNA samples are independently tested twice producing legal results of unmatched quality and reliability. DDC is recognized through a number of accreditations nationally and internationally achieving perfect ratings in its past 16 inspections including those performed by the American Association of Blood Banks (AABB) and the College of American Pathologists (CAP). DDC is also accredited by ACLASS to meet the standards of ISO 17025 and the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors Laboratory Accreditation Board International and follows the DNA Advisory Board (DAB) guidelines, which attests to DDC’s superior forensic testing service. For more information: https://dnacenter.com or 1-888-362-3928.