Tools for Cell Line Identification (R43/R44)

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This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is intended to address the problem of misidentified cell lines. Many advances in biomedical science have arisen from studies of cultured cell lines, which are widely used for basic research on cell function, as models for disease, and for drug screening. However, cell cultures are prone to contamination by foreign cells, which may rapidly displace the original cells. The identity of cultured cells should be routinely verified, but a majority of laboratories do not monitor the identity of their cell lines, and many cell lines are misidentified. The costs, effort and time required to confirm the identity of cell lines has been a barrier to adoption of cell line identification as a routine quality control measure. This FOA will support SBIR projects to improve existing technologies, and/or develop novel, reliable, and cost effective tools that will make it easier for researchers to confirm the identity and/or sex of the cells that they use in their work. Applications for support of research and development of particular types of complex technologies that require funding levels and durations beyond those reflected in standard SBIR guidelines are encouraged, as are multi-PD/PI applications, including multi-PD/PI applications that arise from academic-industrial partnerships.

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