Fetal bovine serum—a cell culture dilemma
Ethical and possible reproducibility issues arise when using fetal bovine serum in cell culture media
Abstract
Fetal bovine serum [FBS, also known as fetal calf serum (FCS)] is a popular supplement to the basal medium used in cell and tissue culture. FBS is sourced from unborn calves at the slaughterhouse, raising ethical concerns about animal welfare. Recently, two different laboratories performed in vitro experiments that applied an identical experimental procedure and used cells and FBS from the same suppliers (1). The results they obtained were very different. Further analyses revealed that one cause for the difference in cell response was the supplementation of the cell culture medium with FBS, which had originated from different batches. Given the ubiquitous use of cell culture throughout research, it is important to ensure reproducibility as well as ethical sourcing of research products, such as the development of synthetic media.
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Science
Volume 375 | Issue 6577
14 January 2022
14 January 2022
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Copyright © 2022 The Authors, some rights reserved; exclusive licensee American Association for the Advancement of Science. No claim to original U.S. Government Works.
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Published in print: 14 January 2022
Acknowledgments
The author acknowledges K. Bieback, A. Chary, S. Coecke, W. Dirks, J. Hickman, T. Weber, and J. Wiest for helpful discussions and suggestions.
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