Essential 8™ Flex is a xeno-free and feeder-free medium that supports the culture of pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) without the need for weekend feeding. Essential 8 Flex provides all of the benefits of Essential 8 Medium: minimized variability of components, reliable and robust cultures with a xeno-free, cGMP produced media; along with the added benefit of flexibility. Maintenance of standard PSCs no longer requires being in the lab 7 days a week.

Flexibility
With Essential 8 Flex Medium, PSCs need only be fed on the day of splitting and the day after. If the cells will be left without feeding for more than 48 hours, such as over a weekend, then simply double the feed volume on Friday.

Reliable and robust cultures
Essential 8 Flex Medium has been shown to support PSC growth for >30 passages without any signs of karyotypic abnormalities and to maintain the ability of iPSCs to differentiate into all three germ line lineages.

Cost effective
Essential 8 Flex Medium is provided in a convenient two-component kit (500 mL basal medium and 10 mL supplement), and when used with vitronectin (VTN-N), provides a cost effective, defined system for feeder-free culture of human PSCs.

The Essential 8 Flex Medium formulation is based upon that published for Essential 8 Medium by Chen, et al., and allows for control and flexibility of PSC culture medium, without a negative impact to the health of the stem cells.