Serum-Free Cell Culture Media Components & Supplements

Chemically defined media, your way: optimize cell growth and performance in reduced-serum and serum-free media with individual, recombinant components

For optimal health and proliferation, eukaryotic cells in culture must be supplied with a host of nutrients, antioxidants, signaling and transport proteins, hormones, cytokines, and other substances usually found in the extracellular milieu of their native tissues. While bovine serum albumin and fetal bovine serum have served as convenient sources for these complex needs, they are undefined, subject to lot-to-lot performance variability, and may harbor contamination from adventitious pathogenic agents. For sensitive experiments and for regulated industrial and clinical applications, reduced-serum or serum-free (and chemically defined) media are essential.

InVitria offers a full line of protein components for supplementation of defined cell-culture media. All products are manufactured biosynthetically, using recombinant DNA technology in an animal-free host. These products are blood-free and serum-free and enable the reduction or elimination of serum, serum-purified proteins, and serum-derived contaminants from cell culture media.

• Cellastim S recombinant human albumin: this purified, serum-free, animal-free, recombinant human albumin is used to reduce or replace the use of human serum albumin, bovine serum albumin and reduce the amount of fetal bovine serum in cell-culture media. Cellastim S supports cell health, nutrition, and growth in culture. Read more…
• Optiferrin recombinant human transferrin: this purified, serum-free, animal-free, recombinant human transferrin chelates, sequesters, transports, and helps recycle iron circulating in the cell culture medium, mitigating the formation of toxic reactive oxygen species and ensuring that critical nutrient iron is available for uptake. Read more…
• Defined liquid supplements (rh-Insulin, rh-transferrin, and selenium with or without ethanolamine and rh-albumin): these serum-free, animal-free, pre-mixed supplements supply the optimal amounts of essential recombinant protein components for cell culture and are provided in a convenient liquid concentrate. rh-Insulin for cell signaling and nutrient uptake, rh-transferrin for iron management, selenium for antioxidant enzyme activity, ethanolamine for adequate phospholipid production, and rh-albumin for optimal cellular health and growth. Read more…
• LIF recombinant human leukemia inhibitory factor: this cytokine activates the LIF receptor on the surface of stem cells and enhances their capacity for self-renewal. InVitria’s animal-free, bacteria-free recombinant human LIF can be used to replace feeder cells in culturing mouse embryonic stem cells and human pluripotent stem cells, multipotent stem cells, and primary cells.

InVitria’s recombinant cell-culture components may be added to any basal media to build a serum-reduced or chemically defined medium optimized to the desired cell type and application. If you have questions about the optimal inclusion of each component, our Product Applications team is ready to help.

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

• Primary cell isolation and passage
• Pluripotent and multipotent stem cells
• Immortalized cell lines
• Hybridoma cells
• VERO cells

To learn more about transitioning your cell culture system to complete chemically defined serum-free media follow the link to InVitria’s Custom Media Formulation services page.  Read more…

At a Glance: InVitria’s components for chemically defined cell culture media

*All of InVitria’s protein products are fully human in sequence, fully recombinant, and expressed in a non-animal host. All processing and packaging steps are fully free of animal components and are produced using cGMP standards in an ISO 9001:2015 certified facility.