Minimum Essential Medium (MEM) is one of the most commonly used of all cell culture media. MEM can be used with a variety of suspension and adherent mammalian cells, including HeLa, BHK-21, 293, HEP-2, HT-1080, MCF-7, fibroblasts, and primary rat astrocytes.
This MEM is modified as follows:
With | Without |
• L-glutamine | • HEPES |
MEM, developed by Harry Eagle, was based on his earlier formulation of Basal Medium Eagle (BME). Many other modifications of MEM followed, including Glasgow’s MEM, MEM α, DMEM, and Temin’s Modification. This MEM contains Earle’s salts for use in a CO
2 incubator. MEM contains no proteins, lipids, or growth factors. Therefore, MEM requires supplementation, commonly with 10%
Fetal Bovine Serum (FBS). MEM uses a sodium bicarbonate buffer system (2.2 g ⁄ L) and therefore requires a 5-10% CO
2 environment to maintain physiological pH.
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