Biochrom AG publishes a media family tree of animal cells
A graphic presentation of similarities and relationships between culture media
Biochom AG has created a network diagram, outlining similarities and relationships between culture media of animal cells. Today, there is a virtually confusing number of different types of media. Biochrom AG, for example, produces almost 100 different media for research and industry. All media currently used are based on the composition of a small number of original media types that were developed in the middle of the 20th century, such as Medium 199, F-12, MEM, DMEM, or RPMI 1640.
The network shows these basis media as “hubs”; they are suitable for a wide range of cell types and have therefore been diversified frequently. The connecting lines between the individual media indicate the direction of historic optimisation tries. Media shown at the end points of the network are those media featuring a better ability to adapt to particular cell types. This generally applies to serum-free or low-serum cell culture media.
The metabolism of animal cells represents the reason for the similarities of media as well as the entire net structure. For the net structure of the cell metabolism reacts to a lack of nutritive substances in a robust and flexible manner by means of alternative pathways. If the medium lacks, however, essential nutritive substances for metabolites, the cell metabolism may break down completely. This is why new media have been developed on the basis of successful ancestor media, either by means of varying individual components or, in the case of media mixtures, by means of combining components in a new manner.
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