[Good cell culture practice--implementation of a relational cell culture database]

The claim for cell culture to provide validable in vitro models for biomedical research postulates evasion of possible fatal record keeping errors. A prototype of a relational computer database for IBM-compatible personal computers using Microsoft(r) Windows 95/98/2000 and NT for administration of cell culture data has been developed using Microsoft(r) Access 98 (Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, USA), -Access Basic, -Visual Basic and Structured Query Language (SQL) (IBM Corporation, Armonk, USA), and was tested successfully. The modular software application manages the many aspects of cell culture laboratory record keeping like detailed information on tissue donor, primary cell isolation/cell line origin, immunohistochemical/molecular biological characterisation, cell countings at passaging/subcultivation/cell aliquotation and cryopreservation. One main feature is a collection of all methods performed at our cell culture laboratory, where linked tables and files store specific informations. Entries into the database are checked via validation rules for correctness to avoid mistakes. The developed prototype has been demonstrated to be an adaptable, reliable tool for improving quality of information storage according to Good Scientific Practice (GSP), Good Cell Culture Practice (GCCP) and general ISO certification trends.