Heat Inactivated FBS (HI FBS) and Gamma Irradiated FBS (GI FBS)

Heat inactivated FBS and gamma irradiated FBS are both effective in helping ensure the safety and reliability of cell culture research, serving distinct purposes depending on the specific needs of your application.

Heat inactivated FBS is treated to deactivate complement proteins that can interfere with immune assays and other sensitive cell culture applications, making it excellent for studies involving immunological responses or where complement activity could skew results.

Gamma irradiated FBS is treated to inactivate a broader range of contaminants, including viruses and mycoplasma, supporting a greater assurance of viral inactivation.

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Gamma irradiation of serum enhances the safety and efficacy of animal-derived products by inactivating viruses and other pathogens detrimental to cell culture and biopharmaceutical applications. This process mitigates the risk of adventitious agent contamination, crucial in the production of vaccines and biopharmaceuticals. Furthermore, incorporating irradiated serum from the earliest stages of product development helps ensure consistency and minimizes viral risks.

Heat inactivation of fetal bovine serum can be used to inactivate complement proteins in the serum. Complement proteins are components of the innate immune system that contribute to inflammation and can opsonize pathogens. In addition to interacting with pathogens directly, complement proteins can also bind antibody-antigen complexes [1]. Interactions between complement proteins and antibodies may interfere with the binding of target molecules in immunoassays, making the inactivation of serum complement proteins a necessary step in certain immunological applications [2].

Importantly, heat inactivation of serum must be performed carefully to avoid the destruction of growth-promoting factors.

For the highest confidence in safety and reliability, choose Gibco FBS that has undergone both heat inactivation and gamma irradiation. This dual treatment maximizes the safety of the serum, significantly reducing the risk of contamination and variability in high-stakes applications.

1. Janeway CA Jr, Travers P, Walport M, et al. Immunobiology: The Immune System in Health and Disease. 5th edition. New York: Garland Science; 2001. The complement system and innate immunity.
2. Tate J, Ward G. (2004) Interferences in immunoassay. Clin Biochem Rev 25(2):105–120.