Matching Algorithm

Understanding the matching algorithm

The matching criterion is based on an algorithm that compares the number of shared alleles between two cell line samples, expressed as a percentage. Cell lines with ≥90% match have a high probability of being related, ie, derived from a common ancestry and traceable to a single donor or identical twins. Cell lines with between a 80% to 90% match require further analysis for authentication of relatedness. Two algorithms are available for searching profiles in the ATCC database. While the Tanabe algorithm is now the recommended algorithm for STR profiling, the Masters algorithm remains useful when trying to determine the identity of a contaminating cell line.