Human Plasma-Like Medium (HPLM), 500 mL - FAQs

View additional product information for Human Plasma-Like Medium (HPLM) - FAQs (A4899101, A4899102)

23 product FAQs found

Is Gibco Human Plasma-Like Medium (HPLM) animal origin-free (AOF)?

Yes, Gibco HPLM is animal origin-free (AOF).

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Is Gibco Human Plasma-Like Medium (HPLM) manufactured in a cGMP facility?

Yes, Gibco HPLM is manufactured in a cGMP facility.

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Are there any publications with Human Plasma-Like Medium (HPLM)?

There are several publications using HPLM. A list of select publications using HPLM can be found on the HPLM web page: https://www.thermofisher.com/us/en/home/life-science/cell-culture/mammalian-cell-culture/classical-media/human-plasma-like-medium.html

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What is the formulation of Gibco Human Plasma-Like Medium (HPLM)?

The complete formulation of Gibco Human Plasma-Like Medium (HPLM) can be found here .

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Can Gibco Human Plasma-Like Medium (HPLM) be stored at room temperature like Gibco BenchStable media?

Gibco HPLM is not a BenchStable media and should not be stored at room temperature. Recommended storage for Gibco HPLM is at 2-8 degrees C, protected from light.

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How long can Gibco Human Plasma-Like Medium (HPLM) be exposed to light before cell growth is affected?

We have observed rapid degradation of several components within days from exposure of Gibco HPLM to common fluorescent light. We have also observed decreased cell growth using light-exposed media.

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What is the recommended shelf life for a bottle of Gibco Human Plasma-Like Medium (HPLM) after it has been opened?

Gibco HPLM should be used within 2-4 weeks once the bottle has been opened. The length of time will depend on how the stock media bottle is handled. Common media components are sensitive to both heat and light exposure, i.e., amino acids, vitamins, etc.
To maximize stability of an open media bottle, pre-warm the required volume of media for the day in a 15 ml, 50 ml, or other size container. Place the container in a 37 degrees C, 5% CO2 incubator with slightly loosened cap to allow for gas exchange. Put the stock bottle of media back into the fridge, i.e., 2-8 degrees C, to reduce exposure to heat and light.

Pre-warming the media in a 37 degrees C, 5% CO2 incubator will pre-adjust both pH and temperature to physiological levels. An incubation time of 30-60 mins or slightly longer should suffice. The pre-warmed media would be more "optimal" for cells with both temperature and pH being pre-adjusted to physiological levels.

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What is the shelf life of Gibco Human Plasma-Like Medium (HPLM)?

Gibco HPLM has a 12-month shelf life for an unopened bottle stored at the recommended conditions as stated on the bottle label. This is consistent with our standard basal media offerings.

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Can I use Gibco Human Plasma-Like Medium (HPLM) for long-term culture?

Yes, Gibco HPLM is suitable for long-term culture. The length of time will depend on the specific cells.

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Can I use Gibco Human Plasma-Like Medium (HPLM) for scale-up culture?

Although we have not used Gibco HPLM for scale-up culture, based on the data we have for other applications, it should work.

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Will Gibco Human Plasma-Like Medium (HPLM) work on primate cells?

We have not specifically tested primate cells with Gibco HPLM. If the primate cells are grown using classic synthetic cell culture media, including MEM, DMEM, RPMI 1640, and DMEM/F-12, they should grow in Gibco HPLM.

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Can I cryopreserve cells growing in Gibco Human Plasma-Like Medium (HPLM)?

Yes, cells growing in Gibco HPLM can be cryopreserved. We recommend using the same cryopreservation protocols that you use with standard basal media.

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Can I thaw cryopreserved cells directly into Gibco Human Plasma-Like Medium (HPLM)?

Yes, cryopreserved cells can be thawed directly into Gibco HPLM. We recommend using the same thaw protocols that you use with traditional basal media.

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What is the recommended seeding density when growing cells using Gibco Human Plasma-Like Medium (HPLM)?

We recommend using the same cell seeding conditions with Gibco HPLM as used with conventional basal media. Some cell lines have been shown to grow slightly slower in Gibco HPLM than in conventional media and may require higher seed densities or longer duration between passages.

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What kind of growth differences I can expect for my cell line with Gibco Human Plasma-Like Medium (HPLM) compared to other synthetic media?

We recommend using the same cell seeding conditions with Gibco HPLM as used with conventional basal media. Some cell lines have been shown to grow slightly slower in Gibco HPLM than in conventional media. With Gibco HPLM, cells can be left in culture for longer periods of time or seeded at a slightly higher density.

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What type of cells can I culture with Gibco Human Plasma-Like Medium (HPLM)?

Most cell lines that are cultured using classic synthetic cell culture media, including MEM, DMEM, RPMI 1640, and DMEM/F-12 can be cultured with Gibco HPLM. There might be some differences in growth rates for some cell lines.

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Can Gibco Human Plasma-Like Medium (HPLM) replace the current media I am using?

Internally, we have tested the following cell lines using Gibco HPLM. In every cell line tested, HPLM successfully supported cell growth. These cell lines did not require any adaptation to HPLM and were passaged directly into HPLM.

Cell types tested: HeLa, A549, MCF-7, MDA-MB-231, LNCaP, HCT116, A375, WM115, U-2 OS, Primary NK cells, THP-1, Jurkat, PLB-985, NOMO-1, and Sp2

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Is the Gibco Human Plasma-Like Medium (HPLM) formulation identical to the HPLM published by Cantor et al. in 2017?

The formulation of Gibco HPLM is based on the medium introduced in a research article published in the journal Cell (Cantor et al., 2017, Cell 169, 258-272). Gibco HPLM does not contain 2-hydroxybutyric acid (2-HBA), which was present in the formulation that was published in Cell. Follow these steps to add 2-HBA to Gibco HPLM:
- Create a 250X stock of 2-HBA in water by mixing 158 mg of 2-HBA (Alfa Aesar, Cat. No. A18636-03) with 100 mL of water
- Sterile filter the 250X 2-HBA stock solution
- Aseptically add 2 mL of 2-HBA stock solution to 498 mL of HPLM
Gibco HPLM also contains 4 additional components that help it to better resemble human plasma: acetylcarnitine, alpha-keto glutarate, malate, and uridine.

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Is it okay if I supplement Gibco Human Plasma-Like Medium (HPLM) media with 5% FBS?

We recommend supplementing Gibco HPLM with at least 10% FBS for best results. We have run tests on a small number of cell types using 5% FBS concentration and have not observed compromised performance in those cases. Please contact Tech Support at techsupport@thermofisher.com to ensure that your specific application allows for lower levels of serum supplementation.

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Is it okay if I supplement Gibco Human Plasma-Like Medium (HPLM) media with more than 10% FBS?

We recommended supplementing Gibco HPLM with at least 10% FBS for best results. If your culture method calls for greater than 10% FBS supplementation using standard basal media, we recommend that you use the same concentration with HPLM.

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Does Gibco Human Plasma-Like Medium (HPLM) need to be supplemented with FBS?

Complete cell culture media most often consist of a basal medium containing defined metabolites and salts supplemented with fetal bovine serum (FBS) that further contributes an undefined cocktail of growth factors, hormones, trace elements, and other components critical for cell growth. To establish a complete HPLM-based medium, supplementation with 10% dialyzed FBS (Cat. No. 26400044) is recommended in order to minimize the contribution of polar metabolites at otherwise undefined levels. Untreated FBS can be also be manually dialyzed by using SnakeSkin dialysis tubing, 3.5K MWCO (Cat. No. 88242) as an alternative to purchasing dialyzed FBS. If your specific application is not impacted by the levels of polar metabolites present in serum, or if your cells do not tolerate dialyzed serum, standard or heat-inactivated FBS can be used in place of dialyzed FBS.

Find additional tips, troubleshooting help, and resources within our Mammalian Cell Culture Basics Support Center.

What is the benefit of using Gibco Human Plasma-Like Medium (HPLM) over other synthetic media?

Gibco HPLM is formulated to resemble the natural cellular environment found in the body. HPLM provides researchers the ability to study the impact of physiologically relevant cell media on their specific applications.

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What is the difference between Gibco Human Plasma-Like Medium (HPLM) and other synthetic media?

The widely used classic synthetic cell culture media, including MEM, DMEM, RPMI 1640, and DMEM/F-12 contain glucose, amino acids, vitamins, and salts at concentrations that in large part do not reflect those found in human plasma. These media also lack additional components needed to mimic the metabolic profile of human plasma. Gibco HPLM contains more than 60 polar metabolites such as amino acids, nucleic acids, sugars, and small organic acids at concentrations found in human plasma. The salt concentrations in HPLM mimic the salt concentrations found in human plasma.

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