cell line
Enable an AI agent to identify a cell line, assess whether its available material is trustworthy and suitable for an intended use, and determine permitted handling and transfer.
Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled
6 bundles · 11 layers · 18 findings · 31 questions
Identity and lineage Establishes which cell line is represented and how it relates to specimens, parents and derivatives.
Line identity
Connects names and accessions to an explicit biological identity.
Identifier resolution
Record accession-backed identity and unresolved naming conflicts without merging records solely by name.
- Which repository or registry accessions identify this line, and which names are documented aliases? definition
- Does a conflicting name denote the same line, a derivative or misidentified material? boundary
Biological derivation
Traces source material and events that established the line.
Origin and parentage
Separate reported donor and tissue origin from documented parental, cloning and modification relationships.
- What source organism, specimen, tissue and derivation records support the claimed origin? provenance
- Which cloning, immortalisation, reprogramming or engineering events connect this line to its parent? provenance
- What evidence justifies treating this population as a distinct line rather than a stock of its parent? boundary
Culture and propagation Captures the conditions and replicative history needed to maintain interpretable cell populations.
Culture dependencies
Records the environment and supporting materials associated with successful maintenance.
Documented culture conditions
Associate medium, supplements, substrate, feeder dependence and environmental requirements with their evidence.
- Which medium, supplements, substrate or feeder cells and environmental conditions are documented for this line? definition
- Under what conditions were the reference growth rate and morphology measured? measurement
Replicative history
Tracks expansion and recovery without assuming all cultures remain equivalent.
Propagation window
Record passage conventions, population doublings, freeze-thaw history and evidence of finite or continuous growth.
- What passage count, counting convention and population-doubling history are known for the available stock? measurement
- What evidence establishes finite or continuous growth and any validated range of propagation? provenance
- When should observed senescence, altered growth or poor recovery trigger replacement or investigation? action
Authentication and contamination Evaluates whether sampled material has the expected identity and assessed contamination status.
Identity testing
Links authentication conclusions to suitable methods, reference profiles and sampled stocks.
Authentication evidence
Record species-appropriate identity testing, reference provenance and conflicts between claimed and measured identity.
- Which authentication method is appropriate for this species and line, and what reference supports comparison? definition
- Which stock was tested, when was it tested and what match or discrepancy was observed? measurement
Contamination evidence
Keeps test coverage and contamination decisions specific to sampled material.
Contaminant assessment
Distinguish mycoplasma, other microbial contamination and cross-contamination with other cells.
- Which contaminants were assessed, using what methods and sampling dates, and with what results? measurement
- What evidence supports releasing, quarantining, discarding or retesting this stock? action
Biological properties and use Connects observed properties and their stability to the intended experimental application.
Defining properties
Records measured characteristics without assuming every stock retains historical attributes.
Phenotype and genotype
Track relevant markers, variants, ploidy, differentiation capacity and population heterogeneity with measurement context.
- Which genetic and phenotypic properties define the line or derivative for the intended application? definition
- Which properties were measured in the current material, and how do they vary across passages or conditions? measurement
Application fitness
Separates historical use from demonstrated suitability for a specific assay or biological inference.
Use-specific validation
Record application-specific performance evidence, acceptance criteria and limits of biological representation.
- What functional evidence and acceptance criteria establish fitness for the proposed assay? measurement
- Which properties of the source tissue, disease or organism are unsupported by this cell-line model? boundary
- What additional validation is required before this stock can support the proposed inference? action
Access and responsible use Connects available material to acquisition records, permissions and handling requirements.
Material provenance
Connects received stocks to suppliers and documented transfer histories.
Stock-to-line traceability
Link supplier lots and local stocks to line records while exposing gaps in custody or documentation.
- Which supplier, accession, lot and acquisition records connect the available stock to this line? provenance
- Which gaps in transfer or stock history require verification before use or redistribution? action
Use permissions and handling
Records constraints applicable to the actual stock, modification and proposed activity.
Permitted activities
Associate documented consent, transfer terms and risk assessments with decisions about use and sharing.
- Which consent, licence or transfer terms constrain research, commercial use, genetic modification or onward sharing? provenance
- What handling and containment assessment applies to this material and the proposed activity? action
Evidence and external alignment What the world already says about this thing, gathered so the model can be checked against it.
Reported evidence
Findings from the breadth pass, kept separate from the structural claims.
Check these first
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Which of these check these first hold for the sense of cell line this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Kinds and varieties
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Which of these kinds and varieties hold for the sense of cell line this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Identifiers and schemes
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Which of these identifiers and schemes hold for the sense of cell line this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Standards and regulation
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Which of these standards and regulation hold for the sense of cell line this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Real-world use
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Which of these real-world use hold for the sense of cell line this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Failure modes and hazards
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Which of these failure modes and hazards hold for the sense of cell line this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Regional variation
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Which of these regional variation hold for the sense of cell line this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Which of these neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart hold for the sense of cell line this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Classifiers Filled
- Family
- Thing Registry
- Category
- Physical world and living systems
- Entry kind
- thing
- Plane
- PHY
- Domain
- PHY.LIV
- Other names and narrower kinds
- COVID-19-related cell line, human cell line, mouse cell lines, cell line from embryonic stem cells, cell line from somatic stem cells, carcinoma cell line, immortalised cell line, stem cell line, cancer cell line, hybridoma, hybrid cell line, spontaneously immortalized cell line
What it is Filled
A cell line is a population of cells established by subculturing a primary culture and maintained through successive passages, with either a finite proliferative lifespan or the capacity for continuous propagation.
In scope
- Line identity, aliases, accession identifiers and relationships to parental lines and derivatives
- Organism, tissue and donor provenance, derivation method and finite or continuous growth status
- Culture requirements, passage history and stability of defining properties
- Authentication, contamination evidence and stock-specific quality
- Fitness for intended applications and applicable consent, licensing and handling constraints
Out of scope
- The donor organism or person as a complete biological or personal record
- Primary specimens and primary cultures before establishment of a cell line
- Individual vial inventory, freezer equipment and facility operations
- Complete experimental protocols, datasets and study conclusions
- The supplying repository or laboratory as an organisation
Why it exists Filled
Enable an AI agent to identify a cell line, assess whether its available material is trustworthy and suitable for an intended use, and determine permitted handling and transfer.
Distinguishing features Filled
- Represents a propagated population of cultured cells with a traceable derivation, rather than an organism, tissue specimen or isolated cell.
- Has a lineage identity that can span multiple cultures and frozen stocks; differences between stocks do not automatically establish a new line.
- May have finite proliferative capacity or continuous growth; immortality must not be assumed from the term cell line.
- Is not necessarily clonal or genetically uniform; clonality and population heterogeneity require separate evidence.
- A subclone, engineered derivative or selected population needs an explicit relationship to its parent and evidence supporting any separate identity.
What robots and AI may and may not do Filled
Must not
- Use a cell line without checking that its use is covered by the donor's consent and the provider's terms.
- Publish results from a line that has not been authenticated or is known to be misidentified.
- Share donor-identifying information or genetic data linked to a line.
- Handle lines carrying pathogens outside the required containment level.
Only with a human decision
- Deriving a new line from human tissue.
- Releasing a line or its data to other institutions.
May
- Record a cell line's origin, passage number and authentication results in the lab's records.
- Report identity and contamination test results for lines it is authorized to manage.
Moral aspects Filled
- Human cell lines come from people whose consent and privacy deserve respect, as famous cases have shown.
- Misidentified lines have wasted years of research and misled medicine.
Who is affected
- Donors and their families
- Researchers
- Patients relying on research
Owners Filled
Steward
The institution or biobank that holds it under its material transfer terms.
Master systems
- Cell line repositories and biobank catalogues
- Registers of misidentified cell lines
Links to other meta-models Filled
parent
- Q16521 - registry parent class
What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled
Identity and identifiers required Filled
- Vercy registry: vr.tr.cell-line
- Wikidata: Q21014462 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q21014462)
Direct properties required Filled
- Line identifiers and aliases: Repository or registry accession, identifier namespace, preferred name and documented aliases
- Biological origin: Source organism, tissue or cell type, donor or specimen reference where permitted
- Proliferative status: Finite, continuous or unresolved; supporting evidence and observation date
- Derivation and modification history: Parent line, derivation event, cloning method, immortalisation method and engineered changes
- Culture phenotype: Adherent, suspension or mixed growth; documented morphology and relevant markers
- Replicative history: Passage count with counting convention; cumulative population doublings when available
- Growth performance: Doubling time in hours, with medium, temperature, density and measurement method
- Authentication status: Supported, inconclusive, conflicting or untested; method, reference, tested stock and date
- Contamination status: Not detected, detected, inconclusive or untested, separately for each target and sampled stock
- Use and transfer constraints: Applicable consent terms, material transfer agreement, licence and handling assessment
Recognition required Filled
- Cells growing in labelled flasks or plates in an incubator.
- Frozen vials with a line name, passage number and date in a cryogenic store.
Capabilities and actions required Filled
- Resolve a supplied name to a documented line identity and flag ambiguous or conflicting matches.
- Trace a stock through its parental line, derivation events and repository records.
- Compare observed culture behaviour with condition-specific reference properties.
- Assess whether authentication, contamination and stability evidence support a proposed use.
- Recommend release, quarantine, reauthentication or replacement of a stock based on recorded evidence.
- Check whether acquisition, modification, sharing or intended use fits the material's documented constraints.
Hazards and failure modes required Filled
- Cross-contamination and misidentification invalidate research findings.
- Some lines carry viruses or other agents that pose biosafety risks.
Standards and interfaces required Filled
- ANSI/ATCC ASN-0002, Authentication of Human Cell Lines: Standardization of STR Profiling, American National Standards Institute.
Context of use required Filled
- Cell lines are maintained in laboratories as repeatable sources of living cells for studying biological processes.
- They are used in disease research, toxicity testing, drug development and production of biological materials.
- Suitability for a particular use depends on documented identity, culture history and relevant biological characteristics.
Sources Filled
- Wikidata item Q21014462: cell line - identity and sense of the item
- Wikipedia: Cell line - general description of the item
Open questions
- Why is vr.tr.cell-line assigned to SOC / SOC.ORG, and which registry classification should represent the biological concept?
- Which authoritative definition should govern the boundary between primary culture, cell line, cell strain and established continuous line?
- Does an existing Vercy world model already cover cell lines, requiring this registry entry to link to it?
- Which authentication references and decision criteria are appropriate across human, nonhuman animal, plant and other cell lines?
- What evidence should establish separate identity for subclones and engineered derivatives, and which quality decisions must remain specific to individual stocks?
Machine files
Provenance
thing registry research (pass 2) · unreviewed
Built from: models/things/publications/thing-q21014462/spec.json