MCDB 131 Medium was originally developed by Knedler and Ham as reduced serum-supplemented medium for the culture of human microvascular endothelial cells (HMVEC). MCDB 131 Medium is also used with other cell types, including human omental microvascular cells, hepatocytes, myocytes, and smooth muscle cells.
The complete formulation is available.

Using MCDB 131
MCDB 131 Medium contains many components not found in traditional basal media, such as trace elements, putrescine, adenine, thymidine, and higher levels of some amino acids and vitamins. These additions allow the medium to be supplemented with very low levels of serum or defined components. MCDB 131 Medium contains no proteins or growth factors, and is often supplemented with EGF, hydrocortisone, glutamine, and low levels of Fetal Bovine Serum (FBS). The FBS concentration must be optimized for each cell type. MCDB 131 Medium uses a sodium bicarbonate buffer system (1.176 g/L), and therefore requires a 5–10% CO₂ environment to maintain physiological pH.

Dual-site cGMP manufacturing
For supply chain continuity, we manufacture MCDB 131 at two separate facilities, located in Grand Island, NY and Scotland, UK. Both sites are compliant with cGMP-manufacturing requirements, are certified to ISO 13485, and are registered with the FDA as medical device manufacturers.