The ghosts of HeLa: How cell line misidentification contaminates the scientific literature

For decades, immortal cells such as the famous HeLa cells have been contaminating other cell cultures in the lab. As a result, scientific studies about certain cells are actually discussing other cells. Willem Halffman and Serge Horbach, researchers at Radboud University, found more than 30,000 publications on the wrong cells. Scientific journal PLOS ONE will publish the results on 12 October.