Between 18% and 36% of cell lines are either misidentified or cross-contaminated (list of misidentified cell lines). A recent notice from NIH requires cell line validation for grant applications to be considered of the highest quality. Journals such as Science, Nature and PNAS also require cell line validation for publication. Cell lines that have been extensively characterized at the DNA, RNA and protein levels will allow investigators to choose the correct cell line for their research. Pre-characterized cell lines will decrease the cost to researchers since this will eliminate repeat analysis. Thus, cell line validation is a critical issue for both scientific publications and grant applications.