The uncertainty of old aliquots of cell lines: e-CAS or m-CAS?

The 3Rs principles (Replacement, Reduction and Refinement) are focused on finding alternatives to the use of animals in research. In this regard, cell lines are popular and useful tools for the replacement of primary cells in in vitro studies. However, around 15-30% of cell lines used in research have been misidentified or cross-contaminated generating concerns about the results obtained from experiments that use them. Here we described how old aliquots of an equine macrophage cell line (e-CAS) stored at the Animal Health Trust did not contain equine cells but macrophages of murine origin (m-CAS).