Cell culture media for recombinant protein expression in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells: History, key components, and optimization strategies

The culture of Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cells for modern industrial applications, such as expression of recombinant proteins, requires media that support growth and production. Such media must support high viable cell densities while also stimulating the synthesis and extracellular transport of biologic products. Early media development efforts in this area yielded basic formulations to sustain growth, viability, and cellular function, albeit comprising animal sourced components, and complex constituents used in batch culture mode. Subsequent improvements included the development of serum-free and chemically defined (CD) media, the identification of critical nutrients, growth factors, and potentially inhibitory or toxic cellular metabolites, and the use of fed-batch and perfusion culture techniques to optimize nutrient delivery while minimizing accumulation of unwanted waste products. This review is comprised of sections covering milestones in the evolution of mammalian cell culture media, nutrient composition and formulation requirements, optimization strategies, consistency and scalability of powder and liquid media preparation for industrial applications, and key recent advances driving progress in CHO cell culture medium design and development. © 2018 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 34:1407-1426, 2018.