The recently issued ISSCR standards in stem cell research recommend registration of human pluripotent stem cell lines (hPSCs). Registration is an important part of establishing stem cell provenance and connecting cell lines to data derived on those lines. In this study, we sought to understand common barriers to registration, by conducting interviews with forty-eight Australian stem cell stakeholders, including researchers, clinicians, and industry professionals. Australian stem cell researchers do not routinely register their lines, and of those Australian lines captured by an international registry, only a third have completed the registration process. Most registered Australian cell lines miss information about their ethical provenance or key pluripotency characteristics. Incomplete registration is poorly aligned with the goals of open science that registries are founded on, and users themselves expressed concerns about the quality of the partial information provided to the resource. Registration was considered a publication hurdle, and this impacted on user perceptions of usefulness of registration, and lowered the likelihood that they would engage with registries to find resources. Although the Australian community represents a small fraction of registry users, the results of this study may suggest ways for journals, registries, and the stem cell community to improve registration compliance.

Highlights

Researchers who perceive registration as a publication hurdle are unlikely to complete the registration process. Incomplete registration promotes misunderstandings about the goals and quality of a registry. Full registration of pluripotent stem cell lines is an important step in verifying cell line provenance. Greater public awareness of registration, combined with requirements for full registration by journals will support the community adopt ISSCR recommendations to register lines.