Serum-free Cell Culture Media for Antibody Production

Production of Therapeutic Antibodies in Animal-Free, Serum-Free Cell Culture

Common cell lines used to produce antibodies for research and downstream clinical applications include hybridoma, Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, HEK293t, and others. Like all cultured mammalian cells, these cell lines must be maintained in media supplemented with critical extracellular proteins like transferrin for iron management, insulin for nutrient uptake, and albumin to support optimal cellular health and growth.

Cell cultures used for biomanufacturing of antibodies destined for therapeutic applications must be scalable and meet rigorous cGMP and regulatory standards for manufacturing quality, safety, performance, consistency, and efficiency. The undefined and variable composition of traditional cell-culture supplements like bovine serum albumin (BSA) and fetal bovine serum (FBS) introduce potential concerns about safety, supply, scalability, and compliance.

InVitria offers fully recombinant human serum protein supplements and chemically defined media for regulatory-friendly, serum-reduced or serum-free culture of hybridomas, CHO, HEK293t and other immortalized cell lines in traditional and batch culture. All products are manufactured biosynthetically in the US, using recombinant DNA technology in an animal-free host, in an ISO 9001:2015 certified facility. These products are suitable for RUO and cGMP uses and enable the reduction or elimination of serum, serum-purified proteins, and serum-derived contaminants from cell culture media at any scale.

InVitria’s products applicable to antibody manufacturing:

• Reduce or eliminate the introduction of animal-derived viral RNA, DNA, prion proteins, and cytokines, prion proteins, undefined antigenic molecules, and animal-derived cytokines and hormones.
• Provide improved consistency, scalability in cell growth, and more dependable manufacturing yield, product validation, and clinical safety of downstream clinical products.
• Eliminate concerns about the fluctuating global supply chain and limitations on availability of bovine serum.

Animal-Free, Serum-Free Cell Culture Components and Supplements:

• Cellastim S recombinant human albumin to replace BSA or purified human albumin in cell culture.
• Optiferrin  recombinant human transferrin for managing iron in serum-free or serum-reduced culture applications.
• Insulin-transferrin supplements  provide supplemental rh-insulin, rh-transferrin, and selenium, with or without ethanolamine and rh-albumin for serum-free or serum-reduced culture applications.
• Exbumin excipient-grade recombinant human albumin to stabilize therapeutic antibodies throughout production and in final formulation.

These products are recommended for use with most cultured eukaryotic cell types, including:

• Hybridoma cells
• Chinese hamster ovary
• HEK293t
• Other immortalized and primary cell lines

At a Glance: InVitria Product for Antibody Production: