Best practices for detecting and mitigating the risk of cell culture contaminants

A variety of biological and chemical contaminants can adversely impact cells in culture, ranging from outright destruction of the culture, mutation, phenotypic changes to relatively minor changes in morphology, or growth rate. There are various approaches to detecting and mitigating the risk of biological or microbial contaminants in cell cultures, and these are discussed in this article. Chemical contaminants typically arise from improper handling or sourcing of cell culture reagents, glassware, or other types of consumables. These and other sources of chemical contaminants of cell cultures are discussed. The occurrence of chemical contamination is mitigated through adherence to best practices in sourcing and handling of such materials and by avoiding the use of volatile solvents within incubators that are used for maintaining cell cultures.