RPMI1640stä

RPMI 1640, short for Roswell Park Memorial Institute medium 1640, is a buffered, isotonic cell culture medium widely used for in vitro growth of mammalian cells. Developed at Roswell Park Memorial Institute in the 1960s, it became a standard base medium for immunology and cell biology research, particularly for lymphoid cell lines, hybridomas, and various suspension cultures.

The formulation is designed to support the growth of a broad range of mammalian cells and contains amino acids, vitamins, inorganic salts, glucose, and buffering components. It is typically used as a bicarbonate-buffered system that requires incubation in an atmosphere containing CO2 to maintain a stable pH. In practice, RPMI 1640 is commonly supplemented with fetal bovine serum (FBS) and L-glutamine to provide additional nutrients and stability. Some laboratories also add antibiotics to prevent contamination, and may use stabilized forms of L-glutamine or buffering additives such as HEPES or sodium pyruvate.

Variants of RPMI 1640 include formulations with or without L-glutamine, and with additional buffering or energy sources. Commercial preparations may differ slightly in specific concentrations of bicarbonate, glucose, and amino acids, and some vendors offer RPMI 1640 with L-glutamine or with pyruvate, or RPMI 1640 with HEPES for improved buffering under atmospheric CO2 levels.

Applications include routine culture of lymphocytes and hematopoietic cells, growth of various immortalized cell lines, and use as a general-purpose medium in immunology and oncology research. Its versatility makes it one of the most widely used base media in cell culture.

See also: cell culture medium, DMEM, MEM, FBS, L-glutamine.