Lonza, one of the market leaders in primary cells, has announced an increase in recent publications referencing its specialized BulletKit™ Growth and Differentiation Media.

These peer-reviewed papers highlight the versatility of the media kits, which are proving especially useful for researchers looking to transition from established cell lines to primary cell culture or when co-culturing different cell types, mostly due to their convenience, adaptability and ease-of-use. 

Researchers often work with established cell lines before transitioning to primary cells, as the former are usually easier to culture in the first instance and can serve as an effective stepping stone. However, the subsequent switch to primary cells can be challenging and time-consuming, as the new cells typically require different growth media or the re-optimization of culture conditions. A far better solution would be to use the same media for both cell sources, as this would greatly reduce variability between experiments and simplify the shift from one cell type to another.

Lonza’s BulletKit™ Media Kits, such as MEGM™ Media and BEGM™ Media, fill this need. They are supplied in an optimized kit format and have successfully been used to support a wide range of cell types, such as immortalized mammary epithelial cells (MCF10A) and home-grown primary bronchial epithelial cells (BEAS-2B). Many peer-reviewed research articles that now reference BulletKit™ Media demonstrate the true adaptability of these kits and give researchers the confidence to use them as a complete system across all their cells.

The versatility of the media is also important for researchers needing to co-culture different cell types. As an example, a recent publication by Masashi Furukawa and colleagues at the University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, illustrates how Lonza’s SAGM™ and BEGM™ BulletKit^TM Media, normally recommended for small and large airway epithelial cells, can also be successfully used to culture breast cancer cell lines. This success enabled the team to develop co-culture models to understand the effects of different factors on breast cancer cell lines, while grown in the presence of normal lung epithelial cells. The BulletKit^TM Media Kits have also been shown to effectively support a wide array of other cell types in co-culturing experiments.

“Customers frequently ask us which media they should use when culturing their cells, especially when moving from 2D to 3D systems such as our new RAFT™ 3D Culture System, working with co-cultures or when moving from cell lines to primary cells. The large and expanding repository of published research that has leveraged our BulletKit^TM Media shows that our kits are an excellent choice for these applications. Our ongoing mission is to make cell culture easier, faster and simpler for our customers, which is something BulletKit^TM Media can help to do,” said Lubna Hussain, Senior Product Manager for Lonza Bioscience Research Solutions.

Further information on published research for Lonza’s Growth and Differentiation Media BulletKits™ can be obtained by contacting Lonza’s Scientific Support Team.

About Lonza

Lonza is one of the world’s leading and most-trusted suppliers to the pharmaceutical, biotech and specialty ingredients markets. We harness science and technology to create products that support safer and healthier living and that enhance the overall quality of life.

Not only are we a custom manufacturer and developer, Lonza also offers services and products ranging from active pharmaceutical ingredients and stem-cell therapies to drinking water sanitizers, from the vitamin B compounds and organic personal care ingredients to agricultural products, and from industrial preservatives to microbial control solutions that combat dangerous viruses, bacteria and other pathogens.

Founded in 1897 in the Swiss Alps, Lonza today is a well-respected global company with more than 40 major manufacturing and R&D facilities and approximately 9,800 full-time employees worldwide. The company generated sales of about CHF 3.64 billion in 2014 and is organized into two market-focused segments: Pharma&Biotech and Specialty Ingredients.

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