Newswise — Washington D.C., May 6, 2015—The Global Biological Standards Institute (GBSI) has launched a video competition as part of its #authenticate campaign, which is designed to raise awareness in the life science community about the powerful role cell authentication can play in improving research reproducibility and fidelity.

Misidentified cell lines can have serious consequences on the fidelity of research, including a costly loss of time and research, and more importantly a delay in the discovery of life-saving drugs. A common contributor to lack of reproducibility is the continued and widespread use of misidentified or contaminated cell lines, which has been reported to range from 15 percent to 36 percent. It is crucial that researchers verify cell identity through the use of an accurate and inexpensive test that authenticates cell lines, such as the short-tandem repeat (STR) analysis.

GBSI is encouraging life science researchers to put on their creative hats and make a short video to illustrate why authenticating cells is important to them. Videos are effective in raising awareness, promoting change and explaining scientific issues in a visually entertaining yet educational way.

Submissions, which must be less than three minutes, should answer the question, “Why #authenticate?” Go to www.gbsi.org/comp for complete competition rules and entry information.

  • Eligibility: Entrants must have or be working towards a Ph.D. in biology.
  • Entries: The videos must be posted to Vimeo by Friday, June 5, 2015 at 11:59 p.m. ET.
  • Cash Prizes: First place: $1,500 Visa gift card; second place: $500 Visa gift card.
  • Winners: Winning videos will be announced on June 25 via a live-stream on the GBSI website: www.gbsi.org/comp.

About #authenticateGBSI launched #authenticate, a first-of-its kind awareness and activation campaign, to engage key stakeholders around the important role cell line authentication plays in research reproducibility and fidelity. Importantly, #authenticate provides opportunities for the scientific community to get involved, demonstrate support, and help tell the story. Follow @GBSIorg and share information about #authenticate on Twitter.

About Global Biological Standards Institute GBSI, a non-profit organization, is dedicated to enhancing the quality of biomedical research by advocating best practices and standards to accelerate the translation of research breakthroughs into life-saving therapies. For more information, visit www.gbsi.org.

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