Gibco™ MEM (Minimum Essential Medium), Liquid, 1X, 500 mL

Gibco™ MEM (Minimum Essential Medium) is one of the most widely used basal media for the growth and maintenance of a broad range of mammalian cell types. Originally developed by Harry Eagle, MEM is based on earlier formulations of Basal Medium Eagle (BME) and has become a foundational medium in cell culture research.

MEM supports both suspension and adherent cell lines and is commonly used in routine cell culture applications, including cancer research, virology, and primary cell studies. This formulation is prepared with Earle’s salts for use in CO₂ incubators and requires supplementation with serum or other growth factors.

Key Features

• Widely used basal medium for mammalian cell culture
• Suitable for a broad range of suspension and adherent cell types
• Formulated with Earle’s salts for CO₂-dependent buffering
• Contains L-glutamine and Phenol Red
• Does not contain HEPES or sodium pyruvate
• Sterile-filtered, ready-to-use liquid format
• Manufactured under cGMP-compliant and ISO 13485 standards

Cell Culture Applications

Gibco™ MEM is commonly used for culturing:

• HeLa
• BHK-21
• HEK293
• HEP-2
• HT-1080
• MCF-7
• Fibroblasts
• Primary rat astrocytes

MEM is frequently supplemented with 10% Fetal Bovine Serum (FBS) due to the absence of proteins, lipids, and growth factors.

Medium Characteristics

This MEM formulation includes:

With

• L-glutamine
• Phenol Red

Without

• HEPES
• Sodium pyruvate

MEM uses a sodium bicarbonate buffer system and requires a 5–10% CO₂ environment to maintain physiological pH.

Available Pack Size

Technical Specifications

Storage & Handling

• Store at 2°C to 8°C, protected from light
• Ship under ambient conditions
• Supplement with serum (commonly 10% FBS) before use
• Maintain cultures in a 5–10% CO₂ incubator for proper pH buffering

Regulatory Status

For Research Use or Further Manufacturing Use Only.

Not for diagnostic use or direct administration into humans or animals.

Gibco™ MEM is a trusted and widely adopted basal medium for routine and specialty mammalian cell culture applications. With its proven formulation, CO₂-dependent buffering system, and compatibility with numerous cell lines, it remains an essential choice for laboratories performing reliable cell growth, maintenance, and research-based culture workflows.