Roswell Park Memorial Institute (RPMI) 1640 medium was originally developed to culture human leukemic cells in suspension and as a monolayer. RPMI 1640 medium has since been found suitable for a variety of mammalian cells including HeLa, Jurkat, MCF-7, PC12, PBMC, astrocytes, and carcinomas. We offer a variety of Gibco™ RPMI 1640 modifications for a range of cell culture applications. Find the right formulation using our media selector tool.


Gibco™ RPMI 1640 medium is unique from other media because it contains the reducing agent glutathione and high concentrations of vitamins. RPMI 1640 contains biotin, vitamin B₁₂, and PABA, which are not found in Eagle's Minimal Essential Medium or Dulbecco's Modified Eagle Medium. In addition, the vitamins inositol and choline are present in very high concentrations.

Product Intended Use
For Research Use Only. Not intended for animal or human diagnostic or therapeutic use.

cGMP Manufacturing and Quality System
This Gibco™ RPMI medium is manufactured at a cGMP compliant facility located in Grand Island, New York. The facility is registered with the FDA as a medical device manufacturer and is certified to ISO 13485 standards.

RPMI 1640 medium contains no proteins, lipids, or growth factors. Therefore, RPMI 1640 medium requires supplementation, commonly with 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS). RPMI 1640 medium uses a sodium bicarbonate buffer system (2.0 g/L) and therefore requires a 5–10% CO₂ environment to maintain physiological pH.