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Culture your cells with Gibco serum-free media
Serum-free media consist of appropriate nutritional and hormonal formulations that allow for cells to be cultured without the use of animal sera. There are many advantages to using serum-free media for cell culture, including increased consistency and productivity as well as easier purification and downstream processing. In addition, serum-free media can be formulated to contain combinations of growth factors that are selective for specific cell types. Serum-free media formulations are available for many primary cultures and cell lines, including recombinant protein-producing Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) lines, hybridoma cell lines, and cell lines acting as hosts for viral production (e.g., 293, VERO, MDCK, MDBK).
Gibco serum-free media promotes superior cell growth and viability
Thermo Fisher Scientific is the world’s largest manufacturer of serum-free cell culture media and a leader in the development of innovative specialty media, including serum-free media options. Serum-free media (SFM) allow researchers to grow a specific cell type or perform a specific application in the absence of serum.
CHO cell culture media
Simplify downstream protein purification with serum-free CHO media, optimized to support Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. Select from chemically-defined, protein-free, and serum-free formulations as well as media for suspension or adherent cells. Browse CHO media catalog.
Hybridoma media
Hybridoma media were developed to support hybridoma cell culture for antibody production. Choose from chemically-defined, protein-free, and serum-free formulations to improve your hybridoma cell culture.
Protein expression media
Gibco Protein Expression Media are available in many formulations to support parental PER.C6, HEK 293, and HeLa cell growth in suspension culture. These protein expression media contain no components directly derived from human or animal sources. Explore all of our protein expression products at thermofisher.com/proteinexpression.
Advantages of using serum-free media include:
- Increased definition
- More consistent performance
- Increased growth and/or productivity
- Precise evaluations of cellular function
- Better control over physiological responsiveness
- Enhanced detection of cellular mediators
- Easier purification and downstream processing
How to convert from serum-supplemented to serum-free
When you're ready to switch to serum-free culture, we're ready to help. Whichever adaptation method you choose (sequential or conditioned medium), we strongly recommend that you always take these precautions:
- Make a frozen stock of the cells in the serum-supplemented medium prior to adaptation
- As a precaution, maintain a culture of the cells in each prior condition when starting the next level of adaptation in case the cells do not survive in the next passage
- Sequential adaptation
- Conditioned medium
- Considerations
Sequential adaptation for adapting cells to serum-free media
Sequential adaptation is our preferred method for adapting cells to serum-free media (SFM media). This process tends to be easier on your cells as it allows the cells to adapt to the new media in several steps, with a typical conversion being:
| Passage 1 | 75% serum-supplemented medium:25% SFM |
| Passage 2 | 50% serum-supplemented medium:50% SFM |
| Passage 3 | 25% serum-supplemented medium:75% SFM |
| Passage 4 | 100% SFM |
In some cases, the change from 75% to 100% serum-free medium may be too stressful for your cells. Therefore, you may need to carry the cells for 2–3 passages in a 10% serum-supplemented medium: 90% SFM mixture.
Most cell lines can be considered fully adapted after 3 passages in 100% SFM media. Occasionally you may have trouble getting your cells past a certain step even before going to 100% SFM. If this happens, go back and passage the cells 2–3 times in the previous ratio of serum-supplemented media to serum-free media.
Other serum-free media
GMP manufacturing
Gibco cell culture products are manufactured in facilities compliant with current good manufacturing practices (GMP) and adhere to a robust quality management system, helping to ensure the consistency, reliability, and high quality you can rely on.
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We are committed to delivering products that serve the research needs of our customers, while striving to develop them in a way that minimizes our use of natural resources and our impact on the environment.
Resources and support
Resources
Gibco Media Selection Tool
Find the right Gibco media for your application. Use this interactive tool to select media based upon culture type, components, additives, and format.
Cell Culture Select Tool
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Gibco Cell Culture Basics
Learn best practices and fundamentals of cell culture. Topics include aseptic technique and methods for the growth and maintenance of cells in culture.
Cell Culture Videos
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Cell Culture & Transfection Learning Center
Access cell culture and transfection educational resources for better experiment planning and execution.
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For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.