FBS – It’s Not All Created Equal – What Consumers Need to Know

In this podcast, we interviewed Alyssa Master, Ph.D., Senior Manager of Science and Applications, Nucleus Biologics about some of the challenges of working with FBS, why not all FBS is created equal and suggestions for FBS customers who are trying to navigate these issues. We began the interview by discussing what FBS is and how it differs from other types of serum. Alyssa explained that FBS is a bi-product of the meat and dairy industry and it is great for in vitro cell growth because it contains a cocktail of growth factors. FBS is biochemically different from other sera like adult bovine serum or even newborn calf serum. Due to these biochemical differences, FBS has become the gold standard and as a result it is more expensive. Alyssa continued that because of its ability to support cells in vitro it is widely used throughout academia, biotech, large pharma and bioproduction, particularly in cell therapy and vaccine biomanufacturing. I asked why so many use FBS and Alyssa said that it works well for most lines and is readily available. Because it is animal derived, it already contains cytokines and growth factors in the right combination to support cell growth. View all show notes at cellculturedish.com/fbs-not-created-equal-consumers-need-know/