Ham’s F-10 Nutrient Mixture (F-10) was designed for serum-free growth of Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cells. F-10 has since been used for serum-free growth of CHO cultures as well as serum-supplemented growth of other mammalian cells, including COS-7, primary rat astrocytes, and rat prostate epithelial cells.

This DMEM/F-12 is modified as follows:

With Without
• Phenol Red • HEPES
• L-glutamine  


The complete formulation is available.

Compared to other basal media, F-10 contains a wider variety of components, including zinc, hypoxanthine, and thymidine. Serum-free growth of CHO cells in F-10 has led to a variety of improved formulations, such as Ham’s F-12 Nutrient Mixture (F-12).

Product Intended Use
For in vitro diagnostic use. CAUTION: Not for human or animal therapeutic use. Uses other than the intended use may be a violation of local law.

cGMP Manufacturing and Quality System
Gibco® F-10 is manufactured at a cGMP compliant facility, located in Grand Island, New York. The facility is registered with the FDA as a medical device manufacturer and is certified to ISO 13485 and ISO 9001 standards. For supply chain continuity, Life Technologies offers an identical Gibco® F-10 product made in our Scotland facility (31550-015). This facility is registered with the FDA as a medical device manufacturer and is certified to the ISO 13485 standard.

Gibco® F-10 contains no proteins or growth factors. Therefore, F-10 requires supplementation, commonly with 10% Fetal Bovine Serum (FBS). F-10 uses a sodium bicarbonate buffer system (1.2 g ⁄ L) and therefore requires a 5-10% CO2 environment to maintain physiological pH.