Animal Component-Free Reagents Unleash Cell Culture’s True Potential 

In vivo, cell survival, proliferation, and function relies on a complex environmental network of nutritional, hormonal, and stromal cues. Cell culture media must therefore reconstitute this environment as much as possible for in vitro data to possess in vivo applicability.¹ Historically, animal serum served this purpose, but its composition is not well characterized and potentially variable.² As such, scientists are looking to cell culture reagents that are free from animal components for better consistency, reliability, and sustainability.

Animal serum provides a broad spectrum of macromolecules, including low molecular weight nutrients, transport proteins for lipoid substances and trace elements, and a host of hormonal factors governing cell attachment, spread, growth, and function.² It is the most commonly used cell culture media supplement owing to its availability and ease of storage.¹ However, the use of animal serum poses several problems.

First, while researchers over the decades have made considerable strides in characterizing ...