Efficacy of Fetal Bovine Serum Alternatives

Fetal bovine serum (FBS) is one of the leading cell culture supplements in laboratory studies across the world. Although its constituents are not well-defined, it is estimated to house more than one thousand components, including but not limited to growth factors, carbohydrates, and other proteins. Its use provides an optimal environment for cultured cells to grow. However, FBS is a byproduct of the meat industry, making its availability unpredictable and costly. To combat this issue, new sera have been developed from alternative sources in hopes of saving costs. Studies are ongoing to investigate the effectiveness of these alternatives, namely human platelet lysate (HPL), chemically defined serum replacements (CDSRs), and other bovine products such as newborn calf serum (NBCS), bovine calf serum (BCS), and Fetalgro. Cell viability and proliferation rate are key variables used to compare the functionality between sera and will be the primary focus of this review.