Cell Culture Medium

Cell culture media are mixtures of nutrients for cell growth, proliferation and maintenance.
Specific applications:
Cell culture: used for in vitro culture of various cells, including mammalian cells, insect cells, plant cells, etc.
Biotechnology research: widely used in genetic engineering, protein expression and other fields.
Biopharmaceuticals: used in the production of vaccines, antibodies and other biological products.
Characteristics:
Rich in nutrients: contains amino acids, vitamins, inorganic salts, glucose and other components to meet the needs of cell growth.
Stable physicochemical properties: with appropriate osmotic pressure, pH value, etc. to provide a stable environment for cell growth.
Support cell growth and differentiation: it can promote cell attachment, proliferation and functional expression.
Can be customized for different cell types: to meet the special needs of different cells.

The following are some application examples of cell culture medium in biopharmaceuticals:

Vaccine production

• Influenza vaccine: Cell culture medium is used to cultivate cells that can produce the influenza virus, such as Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells. In a suitable culture medium environment, MDCK cells proliferate in large numbers, providing a good host cell for the replication of the influenza virus. By inoculating the influenza virus into the cells, it can replicate and proliferate in large quantities in the cells, and then harvest the virus liquid, and finally make the influenza vaccine through a series of purification and inactivation processes.
• Hepatitis B vaccine: CHO cells are generally used to produce hepatitis B vaccines. The cell culture medium provides the necessary nutrients for the growth and metabolism of CHO cells, enabling them to efficiently express the hepatitis B surface antigen. After steps such as culture, harvesting, and purification, the hepatitis B vaccine is obtained, which is used to prevent hepatitis B virus infection.
• Yellow fever vaccine, mumps vaccine, etc.: Vero cells play an important role in the production of these vaccines, and the vero cell culture medium provides a guarantee for their growth and viral proliferation. Viruses such as yellow fever virus and mumps virus can effectively replicate and proliferate in vero cells, thereby achieving large-scale vaccine production.

Recombinant protein drug production

• Insulin: By introducing the human insulin gene into host cells such as Escherichia coli or yeast through genetic engineering technology, and then using the cell culture medium to culture these engineered bacteria or cells. The cells grow and express insulin protein in the culture medium, and then through subsequent separation and purification processes, recombinant human insulin is obtained, which is used to treat diabetes.
• Growth hormone: Similarly, using genetic engineering methods, host cells can synthesize and secrete human growth hormone. The cell culture medium provides the necessary conditions for the growth and protein expression of the cells. After large-scale culture, through extraction, refinement and other steps, recombinant human growth hormone available for clinical use is produced to treat diseases such as growth hormone deficiency.
• Monoclonal antibody drugs: For example, monoclonal antibody drugs targeting tumor-related targets, such as trastuzumab. Firstly, hybridoma cells or cell lines that can express specific antibodies are cultured in a cell culture medium, allowing them to proliferate in large numbers and secrete antibodies. Then through complex purification processes, high-purity monoclonal antibodies are obtained from the cell culture liquid for targeted treatment of diseases such as tumors.

Gene therapy drug production

• CAR-T cell therapy drugs: In the preparation process of CAR-T cells, T cells need to be first isolated from the patient, and then the CAR gene capable of recognizing the tumor antigen is introduced into the T cells through genetic editing technology. After modification, the T cells are cultured and expanded in vitro in a culture medium containing specific cytokines and nutrients to reach the scale required for treatment. Eventually, it is returned to the patient’s body for the treatment of malignant tumors and other diseases.
• Adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector gene therapy drugs: By culturing cells that can produce AAV viruses in a cell culture medium, such as HEK293 cells. In the cells, the AAV virus vector carries the therapeutic gene for replication and packaging, generating infectious AAV virus particles. After purification and other processes, the obtained AAV gene therapy drug can be used to treat various genetic diseases or intractable chronic diseases.

Cell therapy drug production

• Mesenchymal stem cell therapy drugs: Mesenchymal stem cells have the functions of multi-directional differentiation potential and immune regulation, and have potential application value in the treatment of various diseases. The cell culture medium can be used for in vitro culture and expansion of mesenchymal stem cells, increasing their number and maintaining good cell activity and function. The cultured mesenchymal stem cells can be made into cell preparations for the treatment of osteoarthritis, myocardial infarction, autoimmune diseases, etc.
• Neural stem cell therapy drugs: Neural stem cells can differentiate into neural cell types such as neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes, which are of great significance for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. Using the cell culture medium to culture and induce differentiation of neural stem cells, neural cells with specific functions can be obtained, providing a cell source for neural regeneration and repair, and then developing related cell therapy drugs.