Cell Culture and Expression Media
Athena provides an array of serum-free media in addition to several supplementary products to aid in the growth and preservation of mammalian cell lines. Their products can be used for a wide range of research purposes including drug discovery, physiological, and gene expression studies. Serum-free media reduce possible contamination and eliminate potential sources of infectious agents.
Athena's proprietary Protein Expression products are world renowned for their reliability and superior performance for the production of recombinant proteins. Athena Enzyme Systems’™ core directive is the study of the nature of proteins, their unique properties, and how they can be utilized to promote quality of life. Many of their products assist to expedite the understanding of protein functionality, and aid in the production of difficult-to-express proteins.
Serum-Free Media
FNC Coating Mix (Human and Bovine)
FNC Coating Mix® (AES0407, 100 mL) and Human Proteins FNC Coating Mix® (AES0407H, 100 mL) are a specially formulated serum-free tissue culture reagent containing fibronectin, collagen and albumin that is used to enhance the attachment of adherent cells to plastic flasks or microplates. The unique formula creates an extracellular matrix that dramatically increases the rate of cell attachment to any plastic substratum. The matrix accelerates monolayer formation, especially when fastidious cell types such as human prostrate and breast epithelial cells are being propagated. Mammalian cell cultures will attach and grow more effectively on FNC-coated plastic surfaces when cultured in the appropriate serum-free medium.
AthenaES® offers several different serum-free media that when used in conjunction with FNC Coating Mix®, increase the growth of cell cultures dramatically.
| Product Number | Description | Pkg Size |
| AES0407 | FNC Coating Mix® | 100mL |
| AES0407H | FNC Coating Mix® Human Proteins | 100mL |
HPC-1
BRFF-HPC-1™ (AES0403, Liquid, ready-to-use, 500 mL) is a complete serum-free medium comprised of essential amino acids, vitamins, inorganic salts, trace elements, growth factors and dihydrotestosterone, designed for establishing new cell lines from human prostate tissue. HPC-1™ was developed and has been extensively used for establishing and maintaining epithelial cell lines from both benign prostatic hyperplasia and prostatic carcinoma. Optimal attached monolayer cell growth can be achieved when used in conjunction with FNC Coating Mix®.
| Product Number | Description | Pkg Size |
| AES0403 |
BRFF-HPC-1® |
500mL |
BRFF-BMZERO™, BRFF-EPM2™, BRFF-P4-8F™
BRFF-BMZERO™, BRFF-EPM2™, BRFF-P4-8F™ are complete serum-free medium comprised of essential amino acids, vitamins, inorganic salts, trace elements and growth factors.
BRFF-BMZERO™ (AES0401, Liquid, ready-to-use, 500 mL) is designed for culturing human breast cell lines. BMZERO™ was developed and has been extensively used for establishing new epithelial cell lines from explants of human breast tissue and to grow immortalized normal breast cell lines. Optimal attached monolayer cell growth can be achieved when used in conjunction with FNC Coating Mix®.
BRFF-EPM2™ (AES0402, Liquid, ready-to-use, 500 mL) is optimized for culturing human esophageal epithelial cell lines. EPM2™ has been used for culturing epithelial cells from explant cultures of human skin as well as for culturing a number of human cancer cell lines. Optimal attached monolayer cell growth can be achieved when used in conjunction with FNC Coating Mix®.
BRFF-P4-8F™ (AES0404, Liquid, ready-to-use, 500 mL) is designed for culturing immortalized normal prostatic cell lines such as 267-B1.1 P4-8FTM supports the growth of certain established human prostatic cancer cell lines such as PC-3. Optimal attached monolayer cell growth can be achieved when used in conjunction with FNC Coating Mix®.
| Product Number | Description | Pkg Size |
| AES0401 | BRFF-BMZERO™ | 500mL |
| AES0402 | BRFF-EPM2™ | 500mL |
| AES0404 |
BRFF-P4-8F™ |
500mL |
PET™
PET™ (AES0405, 100mL) is a superior cell dissociation reagent specially formulated for use under “Cold Trypsin” conditions. The unique blend of polyvinylpyrrolidone, EGTA, and trypsin in a HBS base allows the trypsin to retain enzymatic activity under cool temperatures, unlike standard trypsin which requires a temperature of 37°C. When used to detach monolayer cultures of epithelial cells from the growth substratum, this reagent yields more viable cells from monolayers grown in serum-free medium than traditional trypsin formulas.
| Product Number | Description | Pkg Size |
| AES0405 |
PET™ |
100mL |
Freezing Media Pair™
Athena’s Freezing Media Pair™ (AES0406, Liquid, ready-to-use, 50 mL) are a dual-cryopreservation system used to safely store suspensions of viable cells detached from monolayer cultures using the “cold trypsin” method with Athena’s cell dissociation media, PET™.
The pair of solutions thoroughly preserve cells which provides superior cell viability upon reconstitution. This Freezing Media PairTM has been used extensively to cryopreserve a variety of human cell lines grown in serum-free media, including breast and prostate cancer cell lines.
| Product Number | Description | Pkg Size |
| AES0406 |
Freezing Media Pair |
50mL |
Hepes Buffered Saline (HBS)
Hepes Buffered Saline (HBS) is available with Phenol Red (AES0408, Liquid, ready-to-use, 500 mL) or without Phenol Red (AES0409, Liquid, ready-to-use, 500 mL). It is an isotonic saline buffered with Hepes, for use in rinsing cell monolayers prior to cell dissociation using PET™ or washing harvested cells.
| Product Number | Description | Pkg Size |
|
AES0408 |
Hepes Buffered Saline |
500 mL |
| AES0409 | FNC Coating Mix® Human Proteins | 500 mL |
DMEM/F12
DMEM/F12 (AES0410, Liquid, ready-to-use, 500 mL) is a serum-free medium formulation for general use. This formulation is a 1:1 blend of DMEM and Ham’s F12 media supplied complete and ready to use with L-glutamine, Hepes, BPE and EGF for culturing a wide range of cell types. DMEM/F12 does not contain phenol red or antibiotics.
| Product Number | Description | Pkg Size |
|
AES0410 |
DMEM/F12 |
500 mL |
Iscove's Modified Dulbecco's Medium (IMDM)
Iscove’s Modified Dulbecco’s Medium (IMDM) (AES0411, Liquid, ready-to-use, 500 mL) is a standard serum-free medium. It is supplemented with bovine pituitary extract and epidermal growth factor and contains L-glutamine and Hepes but no antibiotics.
| Product Number | Description | Pkg Size |
|
AES0411 |
IMDM |
500 mL |
Bovine Pituitary Extract
Athena’s Bovine Pituitary Extract (AES0413, Liquid, ready-to-use, 100 mg / AES0414 Liquid, ready-to-use, 250 mg) is prepared from BSE-free animals. The extracts are prepared from pituitaries harvested from animals in the United States. The pituitaries were obtained only from USDA-inspected facilities where the animals receive pre- and post-mortem inspection and were found to be free of contagious diseases including foot-and-mouth disease, rinderpest, and contagious bovine pleuropneumonia. There are no known cases of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in the herds from which the pituitaries were obtained.
| Product Number | Description | Pkg Size |
| AES0413 | Bovine Pituitary Extract | 100 mg |
|
AES0414 |
Bovine Pituitary Extract |
250 mg |
SFM Screening Kit™
The SFM Screening Kit™ (AES0415, Liquid, ready-to-use, 1 kit) is intended for researchers seeking to identify the most appropriate serum-free media formulation for a specific cell type. The kit contains a 100 mL sample of each of five serum-free media including proprietary formulations BRFF-BMZERO™, BRFF-EPM2™, BRFF-P4-8F™ as well as standard media DMEM/F12, and IMDM. The kit also includes a 25 mL sample of FNC Coating Mix® for optimum cell attachment in adherent cell cultures. Each of the media is complete and ready-to-use.
| Product Number | Description | Pkg Size |
| AES0415 |
SFM Screening Kit |
Kit |
Expression Media
Athena's proprietary Protein Expression products are world renowned for their reliability and superior performance for the production of recombinant proteins. Many of our products are specifically designed to help solve protein expression problems. Athena’s Expression Media will help increase the production of your recombinant protein even if you are obtaining good results using traditional LB Broth. The use of any of Athena’s proprietary formulations will yield higher cell densities. More biomass per unit volume yields more protein which provides for a more cost-effective means of producing your recombinant protein. In other words, you will likely need less culture volume to recover the same amount of protein or produce more using the same volume as with LB Broth.
AthenaES® Expression Media (AES0101 - AES0175) are optimized versions of standard LB Broth.
LB Broth & Animal-Product-Free LB Broth™
AthenaES® offers three variations of the basic nutrient-rich LB Broth media (Miller, Lennox, and Luria) as well as their APF Certified™ equivalents made using Athena’s proprietary blended plant protein hydrolysate: Atholate™. The formulations each provide an abundance of peptides and peptones, vitamins and trace elements, and differ only in sodium chloride content and whether they were made with casein hydrolysate or Atholate™. The differences allow the researcher to select which formula will provide the ideal osmotic conditions for their particular bacterial strain and desired culture conditions. Each LB Broth and APF LB Broth can be custom ordered in bulk.
| Product Number | Description | Pkg Size |
| AES0101 |
LB Broth (Luria), Powder |
500 g |
| AES0102 | LB Broth (Lennox), Powder | 500 g |
| AES0113 | LB Broth (Lennox), Liquid (ready-to-use) | 500 mL |
| AES0103 | LB Broth (Miller), Powder | 500 g |
| AES0130 | LB Broth (Miller), Powder | 1L Single-use Packets (box of 10) |
| AES0114 | LB Broth (Miller), Liquid (ready-to-use) | 500 mL |
| AES0131 | APF LB Broth (Luria), Powder. | 500 g |
| AES0131S | APF LB Broth (Luria), Powder | 1L Single-use Packets (box of 10) |
| AES0174 | APF LB Broth (Luria), Liquid (ready-to-use) | 500 mL |
| AES0132 | APF LB Broth (Lennox), Powder | 500 g |
| AES0132S | APF LB Broth (Lennox), Powder | 1L Single-use Packets (box of 10) |
| AES0175 | APF LB Broth (Lennox), Liquid (ready-to-use) | 500 mL |
| AES0133 | APF LB Broth (Miller), Powder | 500 g |
| AES0133S | APF LB Broth (Miller), Powder | 1L Single-use Packets (box of 10) |
| AES0173 | APF LB Broth (Miller), Liquid (ready-to-use) | 500 mL |
Turbo Broth™, Turbo Prime Broth™, and Turbo Prime-olate™
Turbo Broth™, Turbo Prime Broth™ and the new Turbo Prime-olate™ are proprietary media formulations used for the cultivation of recombinant strains of E. coli. Both Turbo Prime™ and Turbo Primeolate™ are APF Certified™. Turbo Prime-olate™ is made with Atholate™, Athena’s proprietary blended plant protein hydrolysate. The media improve the yield of recombinant proteins and typically produce cell yields 4 to 5 times higher than that of LB Broth in shake flask cultures depending on the strain. They have higher plasmid copy numbers than LB, which can enhance expression. Each medium uses glycerol for a carbon source and has a rich nutrient base of amino acids, vitamins, inorganic minerals and trace minerals. The media are buffered at pH 7.2 ± 0.2 with potassium phosphate to prevent a change in pH and provide a source of phosphate. These media are ideal as the base for fermentation cultures.
| Product Number | Description | Pkg Size |
| AES0104 | Turbo Broth™, Powder | 500 g |
| AES0104S | Turbo Broth™, Powder | 1L Single-use Packets (box of 10) |
| AES0115 | Turbo Broth™, Liquid (ready-to-use) | 500 mL |
| AES0110 | Turbo Prime Broth™, Powder | 500 g |
| AES0110S | Turbo Prime Broth™, Powder | 1L Single-use Packets (box of 10) |
| AES0120 |
Turbo Prime Broth™, Liquid (ready-to-use) |
500 mL |
| AES0160 |
Turbo Prime-olate™, Powder |
500 g |
| AES0160S |
Turbo Prime-olate™, Powder |
1L Single-use Packets (box of 10) |
| AES0170 | Turbo Prime-olate™, Liquid (ready-to-use). | 500 mL |
Power Broth™, Power Prime Broth™, and Power Prime-olate™
Power Broth™, Power Prime Broth™, and Power Prime-olate™ are proprietary media formulations developed by AthenaES® for improved expression of recombinant proteins in E. coli. These media are composed of a complex, rich mixture of amino acids, vitamins, and a carbon source at higher levels than Terrific Broth. The media are buffered at pH 6.8 ± 0.2. Power Prime™ and Power Prime-olate™ are APF Certified™. For expression of recombinant proteins, induction should be done at cell densities three times that of LB Broth. Cell yields are typically 3 to 4 times that of LB Broth in shake flask cultures depending on the characteristics of the strain. Several reports suggest that Power Broth™ and Power Prime Broth™ can increase the amount of soluble protein accumulated for otherwise insoluble proteins. This medium is a favorable base for fermentation cultures. Biomass yields will depend on the process and the strain employed.
| Product Number | Description | Pkg Size |
| AES0106 | Power Broth™, Powder | 500 g |
| AES0106S | Power Broth™, Powder | 1L Single-use Packets (box of 10) |
| AES0117 | Power Broth™, Liquid (ready-to-use) | 500 mL |
| AES0112 | Power Prime Broth™, Powder | 500 g |
| AES0112S | Power Prime Broth™, Powder | 1L Single-use Packets (box of 10) |
| AES0122 | Power Prime Broth™, Liquid (ready-to-use) | 500 mL |
| AES0162 | Power Prime-olate™, Powder | 500 g |
| AES0162S | Power Prime-olate™, Powder | 1L Single-use Packets (box of 10) |
| AES0172 | Power Prime-olate™, Liquid (ready-to-use) | 500 mL |
Superior Broth™, Superior Prime Broth™, and Superior Prime-olate™
Superior Broth™, Superior Prime Broth™ and new Superior Primeolate™, are proprietary media formulations developed by AthenaES® for improved expression of recombinant proteins in E. coli. The formulations are complex, supplying a nitrogen source, vitamins, and moderate glucose levels. The media are buffered at pH 7.2 ± 0.2 to prevent acidification of the medium during metabolism of the glucose. Expression of recombinant proteins should be induced at cell densities twice that of LB Broth. Cell yields are typically about 3 to 4 times that of LB Broth. Superior Broth™ shows the highest plasmid copy numbers among the AthenaES® family of media. This medium is an excellent choice for large-scale plasmid preparations. Biomass yields will depend on the process and the strain employed.
| Product Number | Description | Pkg Size |
| AES0105 | Superior Broth™, Powder | 500 g |
| AES0105S | Superior Broth™, Powder | 1L Single-use Packets (box of 10) |
| AES0116 | Superior Broth™, Liquid (ready-to-use) | 500 mL |
| AES0111 | Superior Prime Broth™, Powder | 500 g |
| AES0111S | Superior Prime Broth™, Powder | 1L Single-use Packets (box of 10) |
| AES0121 | Superior Prime Broth™, Liquid (ready-to-use) | 500 mL |
| AES0161 | Superior Prime-olate™, Powder | 500 g |
| AES0161S | Superior Prime-olate™, Powder | 1L Single-use Packets (box of 10) |
| AES0171 | Superior Prime-olate™, Liquid (ready-to-use) | 500 mL |
Hyper Broth™
Hyper Broth™ is an APF Certified™ proprietary media formulation developed by AthenaES® for improved expression of recombinant proteins in E. coli. The medium is a complex, rich formulation which supplies amino acids, vitamins, and glucose at high levels. This medium yields the highest level of biomass of all AthenaES® media. The medium is buffered at pH 7.3 ± 0.2 and has the highest buffering capacity of Athena’s Expression Media, which permits high glucose levels. For expression of recombinant proteins, induction should be done at cell densities three times that of LB Broth. Cell yields are typically 5 times that of LB Broth depending on the strain. Plasmid copy numbers are significantly higher than they are for LB Broth. This medium is suitable as the base for fermentation cultures and is excellent for feed-batch applications. Biomass yields will depend on the process and the strain employed.
Hyper Broth™ powder is shipped with the necessary Glucose Nutrient Mix.
| Product Number | Description | Pkg Size |
| AES0107 | Hyper Broth™, Powder | 500 g |
| AES0107S | Hyper Broth™, Powder | 1L Single-use Packets (box of 10) |
| AES0118 | Hyper Broth™, Liquid (ready-to-use) | 500 mL |
Glucose M9Y
Glucose M9Y is an APF Certified™ minimal media formulation supplemented with yeast extract for the cultivation of E. coli. It is based on M9 salts with a pH of 6.9 ± 0.2 and employs glucose as the carbon source1. Buffering is provided by a sodium-potassium phosphate system. Ammonium chloride provides a nitrogen source. Yeast extract is added to improve the protein production capacity of the medium and to permit cultivation of auxotrophic strains by supplying a source of amino acids, vitamins and minerals. Our formulation differs from the traditional formulation of Glucose M9, which employs casamino acids. Athena’s experience has shown that yeast extract typically gives higher yields of recombinant proteins than casamino acids. Glucose M9Y powder is supplied with a separate Glucose Nutrient Mix.
| Product Number | Description | Pkg Size |
| AES0108 | Glucose M9Y, Powder | 500 g |
| AES0108S | Glucose M9Y, Powder | 1L Single-use Packets (box of 10) |
| AES0119 | Glucose M9Y, Powder (ready-to-use) | 500 mL |
Glucose Nutrient Mix
Glucose Nutrient Mix (AES0109, Powder 150 g) is an APF Certified™ medium supplement used for enhancing the expression of proteins when using Athena’s Hyper Broth™ or Glucose M9Y. The powder blend consists of glucose as a carbon source and is Glucose Nutrient Mix Powder 150 g . Available in dry-powder packets. supplemented with calcium chloride and magnesium sulfate. Glucose Nutrient Mix is included with both media, but can now be purchased separately in individual packets.
| Product Number | Description | Pkg Size |
| AES0109 |
Glucose Nutrient Mix, Powder |
150 g |
Atholate™
Atholate™ is an APF Certified™ proprietary blend of plant protein hydrolysates for use in the preparation of microbiological media. Atholate™ was developed as an Animal-Product-Free alternative to casein hydrolysate in common expression media such as LB Broth. It is designed to outperform standard casein hydrolysate while maintaining the same nutritional characteristics. Athena’s newest expression broths, the Prime-olate™ series, feature Atholate™ as a key component. Atholate™ is available in bulk quantities.
| Product Number | Description | Pkg Size |
| AES0134 |
Atholate™, Powder |
500 g |
| AES0134 |
Atholate™, Powder |
1kg |
| AES013425 |
Atholate™, Powder |
2.5kg |
| AES013410 | Atholate™, Powder | 10kg |
Expression Media Selection Kit & Expression Media Sample Kit
Optimize your expression media, maximize your results!Athena's proprietary blends of Expression Media increase expression of proteins in E. coli up to 20 times more than industry standard LB Broth.
The new Expression Media Selection Kit (AES0187) contains sterile liquid aliquots of 15 media, including 11 proprietary formulations, as well as APF versions of Miller and Lennox. The Expression Media Sample Kit (AES0188) includes 6 of their proprietary formulations.
| Product Number | Description | Pkg Size |
| AES0187 |
Expression Media Selection Kit |
Kit |
| AES0188 |
Expression Media Sample Kit |
Kit |
SILAC Media
SILAC media is prepared specifically for labeling experiments involving the use of stable amino acid isotopes. Athena provides several of the most commonly used media without L-arginine, L-lysine, L-leucine and L-methionine, the four mostly commonly used heavy isotope labeled amino acids. Available in cost-effective powder formulations, or liquid.
Powdered Formulations
The SILAC ingredients are milled to a fine particle size, blended to give a homogenous mix and filled in moisture proof pouches. Each pouch contains enough medium to prepare 1 L of medium.
- Cost-effective
- 60% less expensive than liquid
- Lower shipping costs
- 3 year shelf-life
Stock solutions of each of the four missing amino acids can be purchased separately.
Ready-to-Use Liquid
The SILAC medium is prepared as a ready-to-use liquid that is sterile filled and filled in 500 mL bottles. Each bottle is supplied with stock solutions of each of the four missing amino acids. This permits reconstitution of complete medium.
- Convenient ready-to-use
- Eliminates prep time
- Just add sterile amino acids and supplements
| Product Number | Description | Pkg Size |
| AES0420 | DMEM High Glucose | 500 mL |
| AES0421 | DMEM Low Glucose | 500 mL |
| AES0422 | RPMI 1640 | 500 mL |
| AES0423 | DMEM/F12 | 500 mL |
| AES0424 | MEM | 500 mL |
| AES0425 | Ham's F12 | 500 mL |
| AES0426 | McCoy's 5A | 500 mL |
| AES0428 | Neural Basal | 500 mL |
| AES0429 | SFM Insect Cell | 500 mL |
| AES0434 | IMDM | 500 mL |
| AES0430 | DMEM High Glucose, Powder | 1L |
| AES0431 | DMEM Low Glucose, Powder | 1L |
| AES0432 | RPMI 1640, Powder | 1L |
| AES0433 | DMEM/F12, Powder | 1L |
| AES0416 | 1,149 mM L-Arg | 6 x 0.5 mL |
| AES0417 | 800 mM L-Lys | 6 x 0.5 mL |
| AES0418 | 160 mM L-Leu | 12 x 1.25 mL |
| AES0419 | 201 mM L-Met | 6 x 0.5 mL |
Product Specifications
Storage: Store at 4°C
Stability at 4°C: Liquid: 3-4 months | Powder: 3 years
pH: 7.3 ± 0.2
Osmolality: 270 - 300 mOsM