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(Other) Sera

Animal sera for cell culture

Serum is a sought-after supplement in cell culture media due to its mix of growth factors, hormones, attachment factors, buffering agents, and trace nutritional elements. Although fetal bovine serum (FBS) is the most common serum used to enrich culture media, many other animal sera can also be used to supplement cell culture, and in species-specific applications.

Animal sera are often used in immunodetection applications such as Western blot and immunohistochemistry, where antibodies are used to bind and detect target proteins on membranes or in tissue. Prior to antibody incubation, samples are incubated with animal serum to block nonspecific binding and enhance signal to noise ratio during detection.

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Newborn and Adult Bovine Sera

Newborn calf serum can present a cost-effective alternative to FBS in media for many culture applications, and where a low antibody titer will not impact cells. Adult bovine serum may similarly be used as a basal media supplement to promote growth and proliferation. Choose from

  • Iron-supplemented serum from formula-fed calves
  • Calf serum of USA or New Zealand origin
  • Adult bovine serum (ABS) of USA origin

Sera from Other Animal Species

Beyond bovine serum, sera from other species may also be used as more cost-effective alternatives for supplementation of basal cell culture media, or for other applications. Equine and porcine sera, for example, have been used in the production of vaccines for both human and animal use. Animal sera are frequently used in immunodetection protocols such as IHC, ICC, and Western blot to block nonspecific binding.

We offer sera from diverse species that include:

  • Chicken
  • Porcine (pig)
  • Caprine (goat)
  • Equine (horse)
  • Ovine (sheep)
  • Goose
  • Rabbit
  • Guinea pig
  • Rat
  • Mouse

Complement sera are
available from:

  • Rabbit
  • Guinea pig
  • Mouse

Products

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Product Number
Product Description
Pricing
H1138
Horse Serum, Donor Herd, USA origin, Heat inactivated, sterile-filtered, suitable for cell culture
H1270
Horse Serum, Donor herd, USA origin, sterile-filtered, suitable for cell culture, suitable for hybridoma
12133C
Bovine Calf Serum, USA origin, for cell culture, sterile-filtered, suitable for cell culture
C8056
Calf Serum, from formula-fed bovine calves, iron supplemented, USA origin, sterile-filtered, suitable for cell culture
B9433
Bovine Serum, Adult, USA origin, sterile-filtered, suitable for cell culture
N4637
Newborn Calf Serum, USA origin, sterile-filtered, suitable for cell culture
G6767
Goat Serum Donor Herd, USA origin, sterile-filtered, suitable for cell culture
N4762
Newborn Calf Serum, USA origin, Heat Inactivated, sterile-filtered, suitable for cell culture
S7273
Sera from mouse, frozen liquid (from clotted whole blood)
R4505
Rabbit Serum, USDA approved, sterile-filtered, suitable for cell culture
12138C
Bovine Calf Serum, Iron-Fortified, USA origin, from formula-fed bovine calves, sterile-filtered, suitable for cell culture
C5405
Chicken Serum, USA origin, sterile-filtered, suitable for cell culture
S1639
Complement sera from guinea pig, lyophilized powder
S7764
Complement sera from rabbit, lyophilized powder
S2263
Sheep Serum, USA origin, sterile-filtered, suitable for cell culture
P9783
Porcine Serum, USA origin, sterile-filtered, suitable for cell culture
12731C
Porcine Serum, USA origin, sterile-filtered, suitable for cell culture
12023C
Newborn Calf Serum, New Zealand origin
S7648
Sera from rat, frozen liquid
12238C
Calf Serum, Iron-Supplemented, from formula-fed bovine calves, sterile-filtered, USA origin, suitable for cell culture
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Related Product Resources

Article: Fetal Bovine Serum Basics
Article: Mouse Embryonic Stem Cell Culture Procedures & Protocols
Article: Mesenchymal Stem Cell Culture Protocols
Article: Lentiviral Transduction Protocol
Article: Subculture of Adherent Cell Lines

Article: Cell Culture Protocol 4: Subculture of Semi-Adherent Cell Lines
Article: Cell Culture Protocol 10: Testing Cells for Mycoplasma Contamination by Hoechst DNA Staining
Brochure: Cell Culture Manual
Article: Serum for Cell and Tissue Culture FAQs

Related Product Categories

Sera
Origin-certified, quality-controlled cell culture sera include FBS, other bovine sera, human serum, and sera from diverse animal species, rigorously screened for contaminants and performance-tested in culture.
Fetal Bovine Serum (FBS)
FBS, or fetal bovine serum (also called FCS) is one of the most important supplements for mammalian cell culture. Choose FBS grade based on documentation requirements and application specificity.
Human Serum
Human serum is used to culture human cells and is available as plasma-derived AB human serum, clotted whole blood AB human serum, heat inactivated preparations, and complement-depleted preparations.
Classical Media & Buffers
Cell culture media formulations have been optimized over decades of research in response to diverse cellular physiology. Select media such as DMEM, MEM, RPMI-1640, Ham’s F-10 & F-12 formulations, as well as serum-free solutions such as M199.
Supplements for Cell Culture
Cell culture supplements enable the customization of media with defined characteristics to support specific applications and serum-free culture needs. Our culture-grade supplements include ITS formulations, amino acids, vitamins, antibiotics, and reagents qualified for hybridoma and insect cell culture.
Stem Cells
Our complete range of ES and iPS cell-qualified products includes stem cell lines and media for differentiation and maturation, and provides stem cell researchers with convenient and cost-effective solutions for the reliable culture of pluripotent stem cells.
Mammalian Cell Lines
Cell lines from human and other mammalian species are essential for modeling disease and biological systems, and are critical tools for protein, antibody, virus, and vaccine production. We offer authenticated, contaminant-free cell lines, many in partnership with ECACC.
Primary Cells
Primary cells are derived directly from living tissue and closely replicate the physiology of biological systems. Our collection includes blood, patient tumor xenografts, and hepatocytes essential for drug screening and ADME/Tox studies.

Related Applications

Mammalian Cell Culture
Applications, principles, and methods for in vitro mammalian cell culture including links to articles, protocols, and videos for proper aseptic technique, passaging and subculturing, and culture media considerations.
Primary Cell Culture
Primary cells isolated directly from human and animal sources maintain physiological relevance of the tissues from which they are derived, and are used for ADME/Tox screening. Find applications and methods for culturing mammalian primary cells in vitro.
Stem Cell Culture
An overview of different stem cell types, stem cell culture basics and stem cell applications in basic research and clinical research applications, such as tissue regeneration, genetic diseases and cancer.
3D Cell Culture
Applications, principles, and techniques for three-dimensional (3D) cell culture. Includes techniques and descriptions of scaffold and scaffold-free methods matrices for the culture of complex in vitro models including organoids and spheroids.
Cell Culture Media Preparation
Culture media preparation for in vitro cell cultivation including preparation of different media formats, sterilization methods, cell growth and regulation supplements, media storage and use.
Cell Growth & Maintenance
A synopsis of the conditions, media, nutrients, cultureware, and environments required for successful propagation of mammalian and yeast cells. Nutrient reagents, sterile technique and filtration, and requirements for 2D, 3D, and suspension cultures are described.
Cell Culture Troubleshooting
Expert tips for correcting common problems with cell culture including bacterial and fungal contamination, debris in culture media, cell detachment or clumping, slow growth, and low viability.
Cell-Based Assays
Cellular assays, or cell-based assays, are essential tools for measuring cell health, viability, proliferation, migration, invasion, chemotaxis, apoptosis, angiogenesis, oxidative stress, cell signaling and live cell analysis.
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