[6] The growth of cells in serum-free hormone-supplemented media

This chapter presents the practical details for the growth of cells in serum free hormone supplemented media. In the absence of serum, greater than usual care must be taken in preparation of the synthetic portion of the medium. Careful preparation of water is essential for consistent results with serum-free medium. Serum and even dialyzed serum can mask nutritional requirements of cells in culture. Commercially available powdered media are adequate for serum-free work although each batch must be checked for suitability. Serum also serves the function of a trypsin inhibitor in conventional tissue culture procedures. The serum may be necessary for the repair of trypsinization damage after subculture; or the residual serum left after its removal, even after one or more washes, may be furnishing unknown growth factors.