Essential 8™ Adaptation Kit - FAQs

iPSC-derived neurons have been cultured successfully on Poly-D-Lysine with a secondary coating of mouse and human laminin.

Find additional tips, troubleshooting help, and resources within our Cell Culture Support Center.

We have evaluated the use of Cytotune-iPS 2.0 Sendai Reprogramming Kit (Cat. No. A16517) for somatic cell reprogramming of CD34+ blood cells. For CD34+ cells, follow the instructions provided in the Cytotune 2.0 reprogramming manual for feeder-free reprogramming (pgs. 39-44). On Day 3, you can utilize rhVTN-N (Cat. No. A14700), Geltrex (Cat. No. A1413302), or rhLaminin-521 (Cat. No. A29248 or A29249). From Day 8 onward, rather than feeding daily with Essential 8 Medium, reprogrammed CD34+ cells should be fed every-other-day with StemFlex Medium.

Find additional tips, troubleshooting help, and resources within our Cell Culture Support Center.

We have evaluated the use of Cytotune-iPS 2.0 Sendai Reprogramming Kit (Cat. No. A16517) for somatic cell reprogramming of both neonatal and adult human dermal fibroblasts. For fibroblasts, follow the instructions provided in the Cytotune 2.0 reprogramming manual for feeder-free reprogramming (pgs. 16-20). On Day 7, you may use rhVTN-N (Cat. No. A14700), Geltrex matrix (Cat. No. A1413302), or rhLaminin-521 (Cat. No. A29248 or A29249). From Day 8 onward, rather than feeding daily with Essential 8 Medium, we recommend that you feed reprogrammed fibroblasts every-other-day with StemFlex Medium.

Find additional tips, troubleshooting help, and resources within our Cell Culture Support Center.

We have not yet evaluated the Geltrex matrix system for clonal expansion in the presence of StemFlex Medium. However, rhLaminin-521 does provide optimal survival of cells following single-cell passaging and thus this matrix is recommended for such critical applications.

Find additional tips, troubleshooting help, and resources within our Cell Culture Support Center.

Yes. We recommend following the coating instructions for Vitronectin or rhLaminin-521 and using the culture and passaging recommendations in the StemFlex protocol.

Find additional tips, troubleshooting help, and resources within our Cell Culture Support Center.

The use of ROCK inhibitor is not required when culturing in StemFlex Medium on rhLaminin-521. However, supplementation with RevitaCell Supplement can provide additional support to PSCs during stressful transitions such as single-cell passaging.

Find additional tips, troubleshooting help, and resources within our Cell Culture Support Center.

Yes. PSCs cryopreserved from cultures of mTeSR Medium and BD Matrigel Basement Membrane Matrix may be thawed into Gibco Essential 8 Medium and plated on VTN-N. Certain lines may benefit from thawing into the medium and substrate they were growing in at the time of cryopreservation. Then at the next passage, use EDTA to passage the cells into Gibco Essential 8 Medium and VTN-N.

Find additional tips, troubleshooting help, and resources within our Cell Culture Support Center.

There have been multiple pluripotent stem cell (PSC) lines tested with the Gibco Essential 8 Medium System (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=21478862).

Find additional tips, troubleshooting help, and resources within our Cell Culture Support Center.

bFGF is vital for pluripotent cell survival and proliferation.

Find additional tips, troubleshooting help, and resources within our Cell Culture Support Center.

We have tested and confirmed utility with the following PSC growth media: Gibco Essential 8 Medium, Gibco StemPro hESC SFM, mTesR1 medium, and Gibco KnockOut Serum Replacement (KSR)- containing feeder-dependent medium.

Find additional tips, troubleshooting help, and resources within our Cell Culture Support Center.

Yes, fibroblasts from skin biopsy samples can be expanded and cultured in Gibco Essential 8 Medium with the addition of EGF, thrombin, and hydrocortisone (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21478862).

Find additional tips, troubleshooting help, and resources within our Cell Culture Support Center.

Insulin is important for cell survival and proliferation.

Find additional tips, troubleshooting help, and resources within our Cell Culture Support Center.

Yes, cells can be routinely frozen in complete Gibco Essential 8 Medium and 10% DMSO. Alternatively, ready-to-use CTS PSC Cryomedium (Cat. No. A4238801) provides more efficient post-thaw recovery.

Find additional tips, troubleshooting help, and resources within our Cell Culture Support Center.

Enzymes such as dispase and collagenase do not work well with cells cultured in Gibco Essential 8 Medium on VTN-N. Use of these enzymes for passaging cells results in compromised viability and attachment.

Find additional tips, troubleshooting help, and resources within our Cell Culture Support Center.

Cells cultured in Gibco Essential 8 Medium and VTN-N need to be passaged with EDTA.

Find additional tips, troubleshooting help, and resources within our Cell Culture Support Center.

No. The cells should be fed daily including the day after passaging.

Find additional tips, troubleshooting help, and resources within our Cell Culture Support Center.

Yes, ROCK inhibitors can be used with Essential 8 Medium. We suggest using RevitaCell Supplement (Cat. No. A2644501), which has been specifically designed to minimize the impact of stress on PSCs.

Find additional tips, troubleshooting help, and resources within our Cell Culture Support Center.

It is very important that complete Gibco Essential 8 Medium is prewarmed at room temperature and not in a 37 degrees C water bath. bFGF activity can decline rapidly with repeated temperature changes from 4 degrees C to 37 degrees C.

Find additional tips, troubleshooting help, and resources within our Cell Culture Support Center.

The shelf life of complete Gibco Essential 8 Medium is two weeks at 2-8 degrees C.

Find additional tips, troubleshooting help, and resources within our Cell Culture Support Center.

We recommend thawing the supplement at room temperature for approximately 1 hour.

Find additional tips, troubleshooting help, and resources within our Cell Culture Support Center.

Other catalog versions of DMEM/F-12 cannot be used in place of the Gibco Essential 8 Basal Medium in the preparation of Gibco Essential 8 Medium. Gibco Essential 8 Basal Medium supplied with the kit has a higher level of sodium bicarbonate.

Find additional tips, troubleshooting help, and resources within our Cell Culture Support Center.

To prepare 500 mL of complete Gibco Essential 8 Medium, thaw Gibco Essential 8 Supplement (50X) at room temperature for 1 hour and then aseptically combine the components listed below:

- Gibco Essential 8 Basal Medium: 490 mL
- Gibco Essential 8 Supplement (50X): 10 mL

Find additional tips, troubleshooting help, and resources within our Cell Culture Support Center.

You should expect to see normal pluripotent stem cell (PSC) morphology. The expected morphology of PSCs is demonstrated specifically by tightly packed colonies with defined borders and a high nucleus-to-cytoplasm ratio.

Find additional tips, troubleshooting help, and resources within our Cell Culture Support Center.

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.

Find additional tips, troubleshooting help, and resources within our Cell Culture Support Center.

Gibco Essential 8 Medium has reduced variability compared to existing feeder-free culture media. Unlike other media that contain over 20 highly variable ingredients, Gibco Essential 8 Medium is produced under cGMP and has an optimized formulation and growth factor levels that help ensure maximum cell health, pluripotency, and growth, with minimal variability.

Find additional tips, troubleshooting help, and resources within our Cell Culture Support Center.

Gibco Essential 8 Medium and vitronectin have been shown to support PSC growth for >50 passages without any signs of karyotypic abnormalities, and maintain the ability of PSCs to differentiate into all three germ line lineages. As published by Chen et al (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21478862) in the laboratory of James Thomson, the VTN-N variant of vitronectin supports human pluripotent stem cell attachment and survival better than wild-type vitronectin when used in conjunction with Gibco Essential 8 Medium.

Find additional tips, troubleshooting help, and resources within our Cell Culture Support Center.

Yes. Gibco Essential 8 Medium provides reliable and robust cultures with a xeno-free, eight-component medium

Find additional tips, troubleshooting help, and resources within our Cell Culture Support Center.

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.

Find additional tips, troubleshooting help, and resources within our Cell Culture Support Center.

Yes. Gibco Essential 8 Medium contains 100 ng/mL basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), and no additional bFGF is required.

Find additional tips, troubleshooting help, and resources within our Cell Culture Support Center.

Gibco Essential 8 Medium contains only the eight required components for culturing PSCs. The medium was developed by Chen et al (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21478862) to overcome the variability issues observed with mTeSR Medium. Gibco Essential 8 Medium is designed to have less variability due to limited components and removal of albumin (BSA) from the formulation. Gibco Essential 8 Medium is provided as a convenient two-component kit: 500 mL Gibco Essential 8 Basal Medium and 10 mL Gibco Essential 8 Supplement (50X).

Find additional tips, troubleshooting help, and resources within our Cell Culture Support Center.

Gibco Essential 8 Medium is a xeno-free and feeder-free medium specially formulated for the growth and expansion of human pluripotent stem cells (PSCs). Originally developed by Chen et al (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21478862) in the laboratory of James Thomson, and validated by Cellular Dynamics International, Gibco Essential 8 Medium has been extensively tested and is proven to maintain pluripotency in multiple PSC lines.

Find additional tips, troubleshooting help, and resources within our Cell Culture Support Center.

Yes, you may use EDTA or versene. However, we do not recommend using dispase or collagenase as it can lead to differentiation.

Find additional tips, troubleshooting help, and resources within our Cell Culture Support Center.

We recommend that you leave the product on ice while prepping to use it.

Find additional tips, troubleshooting help, and resources within our Cell Culture Support Center.

Yes, do not let the laminin dry out on the plates.

Find additional tips, troubleshooting help, and resources within our Cell Culture Support Center.

Yes. Following 2 passages on the rhLaminin-521 matrix, Versene or EDTA passaging should be used to subculture PSCs.

Find additional tips, troubleshooting help, and resources within our Cell Culture Support Center.

The optimal working concentration of rhLaminin-521 is cell line dependent and must be determined empirically. However, for some cell lines, coating concentrations as low as 0.3 µg/cm2 can be used with no decrease in performance. Additionally, coating plates overnight at 4 degrees C can support coating concentrations as low as 0.1 µg/cm2.

Find additional tips, troubleshooting help, and resources within our Cell Culture Support Center.

Yes. To ensure optimum recovery of PSCs following single-cell passaging, PSCs should be fed with Essential 8 Flex Medium the day before passaging.

Find additional tips, troubleshooting help, and resources within our Cell Culture Support Center.