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Minimum Essential Medium (MEM)

Culture your cells with Gibco Minimum Essential Medium

 

Gibco Minimum Essential Media (MEM), patterned after Eagle’s Media, is one of the most commonly used of all cell culture media and is well suited for the growth of a broad spectrum of mammalian cells. Compared to the earlier Basal Medium Eagle (BME), MEM is formulated with increased concentrations of amino acids. Today there are many other MEM formulations available, including Glasgow’s MEM, MEM α, DMEM, and Temin’s Modification.

 

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.

MEM composition

Minimum Essential Medium (MEM) contains a higher concentration of amino acids than Basal Medium Eagle (BME). MEM media may be formulated with Earle’s salts for maintenance of pH in a CO2 incubator, or Hanks’ salts for maintenance of pH in atmospheric conditions. Because MEM media lacks proteins, lipids, or growth factors, it commonly requires supplementation with fetal bovine serum (FBS).

 

Thermo Fisher Scientific offers a variety of MEM modifications for a range of cell culture applications—view an example of a detailed MEM formulation here. Learn about additional MEM formulation options using our Gibco Media selection tool.

Choose the right Minimum Essential Medium

There are several factors to consider when selecting the right Gibco MEM composition
for your cell cultures, including format, supplementation, and additives. Our interactive
media selection tool helps enable easy selection of the MEM you need.

Innovative MEM formulations

Take your cell culture to the next level with enhanced MEM formulations. Explore the following formulations that can help improve your cell viability, serum supplementation, transfection experiments, and cold storage constraints.

Advanced MEM

Gibco Advanced MEM is formulated with ingredients that allow for the reduction of serum supplementation by 50–90%, supporting cell growth while lowering your costs and reducing variability caused by lot-to-lot serum changes. 
 

Catalog # Name Size Price Qty
12492013 Advanced MEM, 500 mL Each
49.65

Online Exclusive

57.50 Save 7.85 (14%)
12492021 Advanced MEM, 10 x 500 mL Each
440.65

Online Exclusive

512.00 Save 71.35 (14%)

Opti-MEM Reduced Serum Medium

Gibco Opti-MEM Reduced Serum Media, formulated for a reduction in serum supplementation by at least 50%, is ideal for use during cationic lipid transfection—especially with Invitrogen Lipofectamine transfection reagents.
 

Catalog # Name Size Price Qty
51985091 Opti-MEM™ I Reduced Serum Medium, GlutaMAX™ Supplement, 10 x 500 mL Each
658.65

Online Exclusive

716.00 Save 57.35 (8%)
31985062 Opti-MEM™ I Reduced Serum Medium, 100 mL Each
33.65

Online Exclusive

36.43 Save 2.78 (8%)
11058021 Opti-MEM™ I Reduced Serum Medium, no phenol red Each
83.25
31985070 Opti-MEM™ I Reduced Serum Medium, 500 mL Each
75.65

Online Exclusive

83.50 Save 7.85 (9%)
51985034 Opti-MEM™ I Reduced Serum Medium, GlutaMAX™ Supplement, 500 mL Each
74.65

Online Exclusive

81.50 Save 6.85 (8%)
31985088 Opti-MEM™ I Reduced Serum Medium, 10 x 500 mL Each
653.65

Online Exclusive

718.00 Save 64.35 (9%)
22600134 Opti-MEM™ Reduced Serum Medium, powder, 10 L Each
334.00
22600050 Opti-MEM™ Reduced Serum Medium, powder, 10 x 1 L Each
394.00
A4124801 CTS™ Opti-MEM™ I Medium, 100 mL Each
40.89

BenchStable MEM

Gibco BenchStable MEM is formulated for storage at room temperature, freeing up valuable cold storage space while supporting cellular proliferation and densities comparable to conventional MEM.
 

Catalog # Name Size Price Qty
A4192201 BenchStable™ MEM, 500 mL Each
52.50
A4192202 BenchStable™ MEM, 10 x 500 mL Each
456.00

MEM with GlutaMAX supplement

Gibco MEM with GlutaMAX supplement supplies your cells with a stable form of L-glutamine that does not spontaneously degrade in cell culture, improving cell health and viability by reducing the accumulation of toxic ammonia.
 

Catalog # Name Size Price Qty
32561037 MEM α, GlutaMAX™ Supplement, no nucleosides, 500 mL Each
65.65

Online Exclusive

76.75 Save 11.10 (14%)
32561102 MEM α, GlutaMAX™ Supplement, no nucleosides, 10 x 500 mL Each
562.65

Online Exclusive

654.00 Save 91.35 (14%)
32571036 MEM α, nucleosides, GlutaMAX™ Supplement, 500 mL Each
84.65

Online Exclusive

91.00 Save 6.35 (7%)
32571101 MEM α, nucleosides, GlutaMAX™ Supplement, 10 x 500 mL Each
768.65

Online Exclusive

826.00 Save 57.35 (7%)
41090036 MEM, GlutaMAX™ Supplement, 500 mL Each
52.00
41090101 MEM, GlutaMAX™ Supplement, 10 x 500 mL Each
454.00
42360032 MEM, HEPES, GlutaMAX™ Supplement, 500 mL Each
77.75
42360099 MEM, HEPES, GlutaMAX™ Supplement, 10 x 500 mL Each
654.00
51985034 Opti-MEM™ I Reduced Serum Medium, GlutaMAX™ Supplement, 500 mL Each
74.65

Online Exclusive

81.50 Save 6.85 (8%)
51985091 Opti-MEM™ I Reduced Serum Medium, GlutaMAX™ Supplement, 10 x 500 mL Each
658.65

Online Exclusive

716.00 Save 57.35 (8%)

Customize your MEM media

If you require a custom MEM formulation for your cell culture experiments, our media customization services can provide you with the media you need, including custom components, packaging, and QC testing.

Switch-to-Gibco Product Cross Reference Tool

Enter your current cell culture product catalog number to get a recommended
Gibco product replacement for consistent and reliable results.

Gibco Cell Culture Quality and Compliance

We are dedicated to operational excellence—from how we manage our core quality processes to our risk management systems. Collaborate with Thermo Fisher Scientific for harmonized quality management, multi-site ISO certification, and robust controls designed to help safeguard your cell culture and cell therapy programs.

Product End-of-Use Recycling Solutions

This detailed guide helps you find recycling programs and manage the end-of-use phase of your products, including Gibco bottles. Where local recycling infrastructure exists, clean, uncontaminated Gibco bottles and caps may be recyclable through conventional plastic recycling streams aligned to their resin classification. 

Cell Culture Products Designed for Sustainability

Keep your cells healthy while helping to reduce your lab’s environmental impact with greener cell culture products. Gibco, Thermo Scientific Nunc, and Invitrogen products can help advance sustainability in your lab by limiting the use of hazardous chemicals, reducing waste and material consumption, and increasing energy efficiency. 

Cell Culture Samples and Request a Quote Program

Simply complete the form and consult with a specialist to receive your sample(s) and/or quote.

Resources and support

Resources

Gibco Media Selection Tool
Find the right Gibco media for your application. Use this interactive tool to select media based upon culture type, components, additives, and format. 

 

Cell Culture Selection Tools
Find the right cell culture products for your research with these selection tools. Search for media, FBS, plastics, transfection reagents, and more.

 

Gibco Cell Culture Basics
Learn best practices and fundamentals of cell culture. Topics include aseptic technique and methods for the growth and maintenance of cells in culture.

 

Cell Culture Videos
Explore this collection of cell culture videos providing valuable insights into techniques, resources, and the latest advancements in the field.

 

Cell Culture & Transfection Learning Center
Access cell culture and transfection educational resources for better experiment planning and execution.

Support

Cell Culture & Transfection Support Center
Find technical support recommendations for your cell culture and transfection workflows, including tips for experimental setup and in-depth troubleshooting help.

 

Need technical support? Contact our expert team for technical and application support of Laboratory Products.

 

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For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.