Cell culture medium has numerous important applications in the biomedical field:

I. Cell Culture and Basic Research

1. Cell Growth and Maintenance
   • Cell culture medium provides essential nutrients for various cell types, including amino acids, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, and growth factors, to sustain cell survival and growth. For example, when culturing mammalian cells, commonly used media such as DMEM (Dulbecco’s Modified Eagle Medium) contain glucose as an energy source and a variety of essential amino acids to support protein synthesis within the cells.
   • It also provides an appropriate osmotic pressure and pH environment. The pH of most cell culture media is maintained between 7.2 – 7.4, which is close to the physiological pH inside cells. A buffer system (such as sodium bicarbonate and HEPES) is added to stabilize the pH, ensuring that cells grow in a stable chemical environment.
2. Disease Model Construction
   • Cell culture medium can be used to culture cells with gene mutations related to specific diseases, thus constructing disease models at the cellular level. For example, for Alzheimer’s disease, researchers can culture neurons carrying mutations in the amyloid – precursor protein (APP) gene in the medium to simulate the pathological changes of neurons in the disease state, such as the abnormal aggregation of amyloid – like proteins within the cells, which is used to study the pathogenesis of the disease.
   • In cancer research, cancer cells isolated from patient tumor tissues can be cultured. By observing the proliferation, migration, and invasion characteristics of cancer cells in the medium, the biological behavior of tumors can be studied, providing a basis for developing new anti – tumor treatment strategies.

II. Drug Research and Development

1. Drug Screening
   • Cell culture medium provides an in – vitro cell platform for drug screening. Different compounds are added to the medium in which specific cells are cultured. By detecting cell responses, such as changes in cell viability (using reagents like MTT or CCK – 8), induction of apoptosis (by detecting the expression of apoptosis – related proteins or morphological changes), or alterations in cell signaling pathways, potential therapeutic drugs can be screened.
   • For example, in the screening of anti – diabetes drugs, candidate drugs can be added to the medium in which pancreatic β – cells are cultured, and the effect of the drugs on insulin secretion can be observed to screen out drugs that can regulate blood sugar.
2. Drug Toxicity Testing
   • Cell culture medium is used to culture human tissue cells, such as liver cells, kidney cells, and cardiomyocytes, to evaluate the toxicity of drugs. After the interaction between the drug and the cultured cells in the medium, the damage indicators of the cells can be detected, such as cell membrane integrity (through the lactate dehydrogenase release assay), the production of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), and the function of organelles (such as changes in mitochondrial membrane potential), to determine the degree of drug toxicity.
   • This in – vitro toxicity testing can rapidly screen out drugs with potential toxicity in the early stages of drug development, reducing the safety risks that may occur in animal experiments and clinical trials.

III. Biopharmaceutical Production

1. Vaccine Production
   • The production of many viral vaccines relies on cell culture medium. For example, in the production of influenza vaccines, host cells (such as MDCK cells, i.e., Madin – Darby canine kidney cells) first need to be cultured in an appropriate cell culture medium until they reach an appropriate density. Then, the influenza virus is inoculated onto these cells. The virus replicates within the cells, utilizing the cells’ metabolic mechanisms to synthesize viral proteins and nucleic acids. Finally, the virus is collected, and after inactivation or attenuation, it is made into a vaccine.
   • The composition and quality of the cell culture medium are crucial for the efficiency and quality of vaccine production. High – quality medium can increase the growth rate of host cells and the efficiency of virus infection, thereby increasing the yield and quality of the vaccine.
2. Monoclonal Antibody Production
   • Monoclonal antibodies are important therapeutic drugs in the biomedical field. During the production of monoclonal antibodies, hybridoma cells that produce antibodies need to be cultured in cell culture medium. The medium provides the nutrients and conditions required for the growth and antibody synthesis of hybridoma cells.
   • For example, by optimizing the composition of the cell culture medium, such as adding special amino acids, growth factors, and lipids, the growth rate of hybridoma cells and the amount of antibody secretion can be increased, thereby improving the production efficiency of monoclonal antibodies.

IV. Cell Therapy

1. Stem Cell Therapy
   • For stem cell therapy, cell culture medium is a key factor in stem cell culture and differentiation. For example, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can be cultured and induced to differentiate in a cell culture medium containing specific growth factors. By changing the components in the medium, such as adding bone morphogenetic protein (BMP), MSCs can be induced to differentiate into osteoblasts, which are used to treat bone defects and other diseases.
   • At the same time, the quality of the medium also affects the characteristics of stem cells. High – quality medium can maintain the pluripotency or multipotency of stem cells, ensuring the effectiveness and safety of stem cells in therapeutic applications.
2. Immune Cell Therapy
   • In immune cell therapy, such as CAR – T cell (chimeric antigen receptor T – cell) therapy, cell culture medium is used to culture and modify immune cells. First, T cells are extracted from the patient’s body, and then they are cultured in a medium containing cytokines and other nutrients. At the same time, the CAR gene is introduced into T cells through gene – editing technology, enabling them to specifically recognize tumor cells.
   • The modified and expanded CAR – T cells are preserved and transported in an appropriate cell culture medium, and finally reinfused into the patient’s body to treat diseases such as cancer.