Serum free cultivation of primate embryonic stem cells

Patent Number: 7005252

The use of serum in stem cell cultures impedes clinical translation since serum has batch to batch variability, as well as possibility of eliciting allergic responses, especially when fetal calf serum is used. The invention teaches how to grow embryonic stem cells without serum. Essentially the claims of the invention all cover compositions of albumin, amino acids, vitamins, minerals, at least one transferrin or transferrin substitute, and at least one insulin or insulin substitute, and FGF for the serum-free culture of the stem cells. The various claims specifically state that the embryonic stem cells cultured in the serum-free media do not lose ability to differentiate totipotently, as well as maintain proliferative ability .

View this patent on the USPTO website.