Good Cell Culture Practice (GCCP) - an initiative for standardisation and quality assurance of in vitro studies. The establishment of an ECVAM Task Force on GCCP

Cultured human and animal cells are increasingly used as the basis for simp lified, direct test systems that have the potential to be more controllable and more reproducible than in vivo test systems. However, if a biological test system is simplified to fundamental levels then it is paramount that t he essential components of such a reduced systems are closely defined and r eproducible. Thus, minimal requirements for quality standards in cell and t issue culture have to be defined. It is the aim of this GCCP initiative to establish principles for standardi sation, rationalisation, and international harmonisation of cell and tissue culture laboratory practices. Therefore, in analogy to Good Laboratory Pra ctice (GLP), a Good Cell Culture Practice (GCCP) was initiated at eht 3rd W orld Congress on Alternatives and Animal Use in the Live Sciences, Bologna, 29, August-2, September 1999. This "Bologna Statement on Good Cell Culture Practice" was presented, discussed, and refined in a Workshop, and a final version was approved at the closing ceremony of the Congress by the scient ific audience. Based on the Bologna Statement, an ECVAM Task Force on GCCP was initiated, that is chaired by Thomas Hartung and Sandra Ceocke, in which experts in th e field should elaborate minimal requirements for quality standards in cell culture. It is the intention of the GCCP Guidelines to encourage consensus among all concerned with the use of in vitro systems, in order to establis h and maintain best laboratory practices, to promote effective quality cont rol systems, to facilitate education and training, to support journal edito rs, and to help any authorities who need to interpret and apply conclusions based on in vitro data.