Bovine-free medium for cell preservation developed in Japan
To help avoid infection by agents of bovine spongiform encephalopahy (BSE), a bovine serum-free medium for long-term preservation of cells has been developed by Fukui University and dye producer Seiren Co in Japan.
To help avoid infection by agents of bovine spongiform encephalopahy (BSE), a bovine serum-free medium for long-term preservation of cells has been developed by Fukui University and dye producer Seiren Co in Japan.
A spokesman for Seiren said that freeze medium usually contains the solvent DMSO to prevent formation of ice crystals within a cell while it is being frozen. Most media are made from a mixture of DMSO and bovine serum, but BSE fears have created a market for media free from bovine serum, especially in regenerative medicine.
The new medium instead contains sericin, a sticky protein extracted from the fibers of silkworm cocoons, and tests showed the new medium equals all existing products for freeze-storing cells. Liver cells kept frozen for four months had a survival rate of 93% when thawed, with the corresponding figure for a medium using bovine serum at 86%. Satisfactory results were also found for antibody producing cells and skin cells.