Minimum Essential Medium (MEM), a commonly used cell culture media, can be modified to support a variety of mammalian cell culture types and applications, including both suspension and adherent mammalian cells, including HeLa, BHK-21, 293, HEP-2, HT-1080, MCF-7, fibroblasts, and primary rat astrocytes.
MEM was formulated from Basal Medium Eagle with a higher concentration of amino acids. MEM medium does not contain proteins, lipids, or growth factors and requires <a href=”https://www.thermofisher.com/us/en/home/life-science/cell-culture/mammalian-cell-culture/fbs.html”>fetal bovine serum (FBS)</a> for cellular growth and proliferation. Depending on the needs, MEM may be formulated with Earle’s salts for maintenance of pH in a CO<sub>2</sub> incubator, or Hanks’ salts for maintenance of pH in atmospheric conditions.