MEM alpha was first described by Stanners (1971) in culturing mouse-hamster hybrid cells. MEM-alpha is the most enriched variation of the MEM formulation offered. It contains all 21 normal amino acids, some at increased concentrations. In addition to Eagle’s MEM, Stanners’ formulation includes non-essential amino acids, ascorbic acid, biotin, vitamin B12, lipoic acid, sodium pyruvate, ribonucleosides and deoxyribonucleosides. MEM alpha has since been used in many applications, such as in maturing human embryos into blastocysts, culturing functional organ tissue in microgravity, and culturing primary cells and cell lines. This medium is widely used for mammalian cell culture as well as selection for transfected DHFR-negative cells. MEM alpha can be used with a variety of suspension and adherent mammalian cells, including keratinocytes, primary rat astrocytes, and human melanoma cells. Commercial formulations of ready-made MEM alpha may come with or without nucleosides.

Recommended use :
– Respect storage conditions of the product
– Do not use the product after its expiry date
– Store product in an area protected from light (not necessary for saline solutions).
– Manipulate the product in aseptic conditions (e.g. : under laminar air flow)
– Wear clothes adapted to the manipulation of the product to avoid contamination (e.g. : gloves, mask, hygiene cap, overall…)
-The product is intended to be used in vitro, in laboratory only. Do not use it in therapy, human or veterinary applications.

Uses :
Supplements, such as antibiotics, should be added as sterile supplements to the medium.
Storage conditions and shelf-life of supplemented product will be affected by the nature of the supplements. Sterile serum should not be refiltered before or after being added to sterile medium
because growth promoting capacity may be reduced upon re-filtration.

Signs of Deterioration :
Medium should be clear and free of particulate and flocculent material. Do not use if medium is cloudy or contains precipitate.
Other evidence of deterioration may include color change or degradation of physical or performance characteristics.

Composition : Displayed on the website and in the catalog; also available on request.