SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A) today announced that scientists using the company’s comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) technology have shown that cancer cell lines, which are broadly used in all aspects of biomedical research, may have vast differences in their genetic makeup, even when grown in the same batch.

As a result, the scientists have recommended that cell culture banks use advanced genomic technologies, such as array CGH, to ensure the consistency of the cells they provide to the research community.

Researchers have long been aware that some popular cell lines are not stable. That is, their biological properties and genetic makeup change as cultures are propagated in laboratories. While standard precautions and quality assurance methods are being used to control such changes and validate authenticity of the cell lines, they may not be sufficient, according to a paper published July 26 in Scientific Reports, an online journal from the