Why is the serum content of PromoCell’s specialized media so low?

Fetal calf serum (FCS/FBS) is a natural product that contains a complex and variable mixture of components, including salts, hormones, vitamins, trace elements, proteins, and enzymes. As a result, there can be substantial lot‑to‑lot variations in the concentration of growth‑promoting factors between different serum batches.
The higher the serum content in a culture medium, the greater the impact of this variability on cell growth, phenotype, and experimental reproducibility.
 
PromoCell approach
To minimize these effects, PromoCell has developed a range of serum‑reduced and serum‑free media, in which parts of the serum are replaced by more defined components, such as cytokines, hormones, and vitamins.
 
Benefit of low‑serum formulations
Media with reduced serum content provide:

• more standardized and reproducible culture conditions
• greater consistency over long‑term experiments
• reduced batch‑to‑batch variability