Insulin-Transferrin Cell Culture Supplements

Recombinant insulin-transferrin supplements: Optimize cell-culture performance of chemically defined media

For optimal proliferation and performance, eukaryotic cells cultured ex vivo must be supplied with a host of critical proteins and components. In traditional cell culture media, supplementation with fetal bovine serum (FBS) is used to supply cells’ needs for:

• Insulin: promotes uptake of glucose and amino acids and facilitates critical cellular signaling pathways.
• Transferrin: delivers intracellular iron via the transferrin receptor, drives cellular respiration, chelates free iron, and reduces generation of cytotoxic free radicals and peroxide.
• Selenium: required for the activity of glutathione peroxidase, thioredoxin reductase, and other crucial antioxidant enzymes.
• Ethanolamine: phospholipid precursor that improves the performance of cells in serum-free media and is required for the growth of certain cell types
• Albumin: binds, transports, and delivers ions, fatty acids, vitamins, hormones, small-molecule drugs, and toxins; regulates serum pH and osmotic pressure; and provides antioxidant activity.

While FBS is effective for supporting cell culture, it represents a complex and undefined source that is subject to lot-to-lot variability as well as contamination from adventitious pathogenic agents. It is thus unsuitable for delicate applications that require consistent performance or that will be involved in downstream applications intended for clinical uses. Removing serum from culture media requires substituting it with purified components from defined sources.

InVitria offers a family of defined supplements that supply the optimal amounts of the essential protein components in defined, recombinant form. All of the protein components are manufactured biosynthetically using recombinant DNA technology in an animal-free host. These products enable the reduction of serum and serum-derived contaminants from cell culture media and support improved ex vivo cellular analyses. To learn more about recommended inclusion concentrations for your cell type, contact our Product Applications team here.

InVitria’s defined line of ITS and ITSE supplements may be added to basal media to create a serum-reduced medium while replacing the need for insulin-transferrin supplements containing proteins derived from animal sources. Because InVitria’s supplements are 100% free of animal components, they are consistent, defined, and regulatory friendly. The chemically defined nature and lot-to-lot consistency of the supplements ensure consistent performance of cell culture systems while eliminating risks from animal-derived components.

InVitria’s Recombinant insulin-transferrin supplements are recommended for use with most cultured cell types, including:

• Hybridoma cells
• CHO cells
• Stem cells
• VERO
• HEK293
• Fibroblasts
• Primary cell isolation and passage
• Immortalized cell lines

At a Glance: InVitria’s recombinant insulin-transferrin supplements

*All proteins used in the insulin-transferrin supplement family are in sequence, fully recombinant, and are expressed in a non-animal host. All processing and packaging steps are free of animal components.