What are the main differences to be taken into consideration when culturing cells in Gibco Essential 8 Medium on Gibco Vitronectin (VTN-N) compared to other feeder-free systems?
Here are three major differences to be taken into consideration when culturing cells
in Gibco Essential 8 Medium on Gibco Vitronectin (VTN-N) compared to other feeder-free
systems:
- Cells should be typically passaged ~24 hours sooner than they would be with other feeder-free
media.
- Passaging should take place when cells are at ~85% confluency. If cells are passaged when they
are more than 85% confluent, the health of the cells and final cell yield may be compromised.
- Cells must be passaged in EDTA. Collagenase and dispase are not recommended.
Can pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) previously cultured in other media and on other substrates be cultured in Gibco Essential 8 Medium and on Gibco Vitronectin?
Cells cultured in other feeder-free media systems, such as mTeSR Medium with Matrigel Basement Membrane Matrix, or StemPro hESC SFM with Geltrex Matrix, can be
successfully cultured in Gibco Essential 8 Medium and VTN-N. In addition, PSCs grown on feeders with KnockOut SR have also been shown to be successfully cultured in Gibco Essential 8 Medium on VTN-N. However, when changing media systems, cells must be passaged either manually, or
with EDTA prior to culturing in Gibco Essential 8 Medium on VTN-N.
I currently use mTeSR1. How difficult would it be to adapt my cells to the StemFlex Medium system?
This transition is very straightforward. We recommend at least a 2-passage transition into the StemFlex Medium system. Briefly, if you have cryopreserved cells previously cultured in the mTeSR1/Matrigel system, we recommend thawing the cells back into mTeSR1/Matrigel until fully recovered. Upon reaching ~70-85% confluency, passage using Versene solution and seed directly into the StemFlex Medium system.
Find additional tips, troubleshooting help, and resources within our
Cell Culture Support Center.
Do I need to add a ROCK inhibitor during passaging when culturing in Gibco Essential 8 Flex Medium?
As with many other PSC media, ROCK inhibitor is not required with Essential 8 Flex Medium when Gibco Versene Solution is used to passage PSCs as clusters. If cells are plated as singlets, we suggest that Gibco RevitaCell Supplement (Cat. No A2644501) or another ROCK inhibitor be used.
Find additional tips, troubleshooting help, and resources within our
Cell Culture Support Center.