CHO Cell Culture Media, Feeds & Supplements

For CHO-K1 fed-batch processes, the recommended medium depends on the cell line source. For CHO-K1 (ECACC), use AltairCHO or SagiCHO basal medium. For CHO-K1 (ATCC), use AltairCHO. Pair either one with DenebCHO Feed or SagiCHO Feed, plus CDFS36 Feed Supplement. In a CHO-K1 mAb study, SagiCHO Medium showed a 130% day-14 titer increase over a competitor.* For Merck's CHOZN CHO-K1 line, use HelixCHO Medium with HelixCHO Feed.

VegaCHO Medium is optimized for CHO DG44 and pairs with VectorCHO Feed and CDFS36 Feed Supplement. In a CHO DG44 mAb expression study, that combination delivered >87% day-14 titer increase over a competitor medium, with higher late-stage viable cell density and viability. 

For CHOZN GS^-/- cells, use StarCHO or StarCHO Plus basal media with StarCHO Feed Plus and CDFS12 Feed Supplement. For CHOK1SV GS-KO cells, AltairCHO Medium with DenebCHO Feed and CDFS36 is recommended. All OPM-CHO media are glutamine-free, which can be compatible with GS selection systems.

A basal medium supports cell thawing, expansion, and production culture. A feed medium is added during fed-batch culture to replenish nutrients and extend productivity. A feed supplement such as CDFS36 or CDFS12 is added alongside the main feed to push titer higher and sustain cell density and viability.

Yes. Every OPM-CHO basal medium, feed and supplement is chemically defined, serum-free, hydrolysate-free, animal-origin-free (AOF) and glutamine-free. That gives reproducible performance for biologics and biosimilar programs, with intra- and inter-lot consistency below 5% RSD.

Yes. OPM-CHO media are GMP-ready, so the formulation you use in process development is the same one you scale to clinical and commercial manufacturing. That avoids requalifying a new medium mid-program. Media are available as dry powder or liquid to fit both bench and large-scale bioreactor operations.

You can request free samples of OPM-CHO basal media and feeds to evaluate in your own cell line. For a faster answer, OPM's Catalog Media Evaluation Service screens media and feed combinations against your process and recommends the best-performing match.