Japanese–English glossary
Serum-free medium
無血清培地mukessei baichi
Culture medium made without animal or human serum, with defined proteins, growth factors and other components added in its place. It reduces lot-to-lot variability and the risk of adventitious agents. Serum-free does not mean free of all animal-derived materials: a serum-free medium can still contain components of animal origin, so read its origin statement. Media that exclude all such components are sold as animal-component-free or xeno-free, and chemically defined media list every component.