chemically defined Ham’s F-12K medium

PurMa™ Chemically Defined Kaighn’s Modification of Ham’s F-12 Medium (CD-Ham’s F-12K)

(43 customer reviews)

PurMa™ Chemically Defined Kaighn’s Modification of Hams F12 Medium (CD-Ham’s F12K) is a 100% synthetic. It is FBS-free, animal-component–free, chemically defined Ham’s F-12K medium. additionally, it replaces serum with a proprietary synthetic cocktail of growth factors, hormones, and nutrients. This  ensures  batch-to-batch consistency and regulatory-friendly workflows. Moreover, CD-Ham’s F-12K contains L‑alanyl‑L‑glutamine instead of L‑glutamine. This Provides  improved stability, longer shelf life, and enhanced buffering capacity to support robust, reproducible mammalian cell culture.

SKU: N/A Categories: Cell Culture Media, Kaighn's Modification of Ham's F-12K Medium Tags: Advanced, Cell Culture, F-12K, Ham's F-12K, Human Transferrin, Kaighn's, L-Alanyl-L-Glutamine, Recombinant Insulin, Serum Reduction

Description

PurMa™ Chemically Defined Kaighn’s Modification of Ham’s F-12 Medium (CD-Ham’s F-12K)

Product Description

PurMa™ Chemically Defined kaighns medium is a modification of Ham’s F-12 Medium (CD-Ham’s F-12K) is a chemically defined Ham’s F-12K medium. It is  specifically engineered for serum-free mammalian cell culture. moreover, this formulation is 100% synthetic, FBS-free, and free of undefined animal-derived components. Consequently, this provides a highly controlled environment for in vitro cell growth and advanced research applications. Unlike conventional media that require ~10% fetal bovine serum (FBS). Additionally, PurMa™ CD-Ham’s F-12K relies on known quantities of pure chemicals and a proprietary synthetic mixture of growth factors, hormones, and nutrients. More importantly, This eliminates lot-to-lot variability. compared to using  serum, it  supports reproducible, scalable experiments that align with regulatory expectations.

Key Features & Benefits

Chemically defined Ham’s F-12K medium
– No FBS and no trace animal-derived components
– 100% synthetic formulation for maximal control

  • Serum-free, animal-component–free
    – Reduces biological variability and risk of contamination from serum
    – Facilitates regulatory compliance and documentation
  • Enhanced stability with L‑alanyl‑L‑glutamine
    – Uses L‑alanyl‑L‑glutamine instead of unstable L‑glutamine
    – Improved shelf life and reduced degradation by-products
    – Higher buffering capacity, contributing to a more stable pH and lower contamination risk
  • Consistent performance
    – Defined composition of amino acids, vitamins, salts, sugars, and synthetic growth factors
    – Supports reproducible cell growth and functional assays
  • Flexible for multiple cell types
    – Evidently proven to be suitable for customization of primary  rat and chicken long term culture.
    – Can be adapted to specific mammalian cell lines via supplements or user-defined additives

 

Ham F12 Graph

Applications

PurMa™ CD f12k kaighns medium is is ideal for:

  • Serum-free and animal-component–free mammalian cell culture
  • Studies where experimental reproducibility is critical
  • Regulatory-sensitive workflows (bioprocess development, preclinical studies, QC labs)
  • Mechanistic studies of cellular signaling without confounding serum components
  • Protocols requiring precise control over media composition

Gradual Adaptation from FBS-Containing Media

For optimal results, gradually adapt cells from conventional FBS-containing media to PurMa™ chemically defined Ham’s F-12K medium. A stepwise reduction of FBS supports cell survival and stable growth.

Recommended adaptation strategy

  1. Set up controls
    • Control 1: Standard growth medium + 10% FBS (no chemically defined medium)
    • Control 2: PurMa™ CD-Ham’s F-12K + 10% FBS (to monitor adaptation vs. standard)
    • additionally, we recommend adding PurMa™ Antibiotic Mix for preventing contamination.
  2. Step wise FBS reduction
    Every 48 hours, fully replace the medium as follows (spin down cells each time, discard the spent medium completely, and resuspend in fresh medium):

    • Step 1: PurMa™ CD-Ham’s F-12K + 10% FBS
    • Step 2 (48 h): PurMa™ CD-Ham’s F-12K + 8% FBS
    • Step 3 (48 h): PurMa™ CD-Ham’s F-12K + 6% FBS
    • Step 4 (48 h): PurMa™ CD-Ham’s F-12K + 4% FBS
    • Step 5 (48 h): PurMa™ CD-Ham’s F-12K + 2% FBS
    • Step 6 (48 h): PurMa™ CD-Ham’s F-12K + 1% FBS
    • Final step (24 h later): PurMa™ CD-Ham’s F-12K with 0% FBS (fully serum-free)
  3. Practical notes
    • You do not need an extremely high starting density; ~500,000 cells/mL is not mandatory.
    • Use multiple flasks/plates in parallel, as some cultures may fail or become contaminated during adaptation.
  4. Post-adaptation handling
    • Once cells are fully adapted, maintain them exclusively in the same chemically defined Ham’s F-12K medium from the same vendor and formulation, including for freezing and recovery.
    • After adaptation to PurMa™ CD-Ham’s F-12K, expand the culture, prepare multiple plates, and freeze several vials for backup.
    • For the first week after thawing adapted cells, supplement PurMa™ CD-Ham’s F-12K with 10% PurMa™ CD Booster (Cat# P3C10144) to support robust recovery.

Formulation Highlights

The base formulation of PurMa™ CD-Ham’s F-12K (Cat# P3C210108) includes:

  • Balanced inorganic salts for osmolarity and ionic strength
  • Carbohydrate energy sources (e.g., sugars)
  • Defined amino acids, including L‑alanyl‑L‑glutamine as the stable glutamine source
  • Vitamins and trace elements
  • A proprietary, fully synthetic cocktail of growth factors, hormones, and other nutrients

This composition allows PurMa™ CD-Ham’s F-12K to function as a standalone, chemically defined Ham’s F-12K medium without serum supplementation, while maintaining robust cell growth and viability.

Storage & Handling

  • Store according to product label (typically 2–8 °C, protected from light)
  • Avoid repeated freeze–thaw cycles if applicable
  • Use aseptic technique at all times to minimize the risk of contamination

 

Formulation

The CD-Ham’s F-12K includes  L-Alanine -L glutamine :Base formulation of CD Ham’s F-12K P3C210108

Additionally , CD-Ham’s F-12K contains a proprietary synthetic cocktail of specific growth factors, hormones, and other  nutrients which makes it independent of any serum and animal products. Moreover for more details about the base media read  HamF12-MAX 

References

Parameter Specification
Appearance Red, clear liquid
pH  7.2 ± 0.1
Osmolality  275-360 mOsm/L
Endotoxin  NMT< 2EU/mL
Mycoplasma Negative
Suitability  Suitable for mammalian cell culture
Additive  Sodium pyruvate
Indicator  Phenol red
Mycoplasma Detection Negative
Sterility Tested  Sterile filtered using 0.1 µm filter, 3 Times
Form Liquid
Shipping Condition Room temperature, Overnight

 

Additional information

Condition

CD-HAM’S F-12K Standard Formulation, CD-HAM’S F-12K w/o L-Alanyl-L-Glutamine, CD-HAM’S F-12K w/o Phenol Red, CD-HAM’S F-12K w/o Sodium Bicarbonate, CD-HAM’S F-12K w/o Sodium Pyruvate, CD-HAM’S F-12K High Glucose (4.5 g/L), CD-HAM’S F-12K w/o Glucose, CD-HAM’S F-12K w/o Lipoic Acid, CD-HAM’S F-12K w/o L-Alanyl-L-Glutamine, w/o Phenol Red, CD-HAM’S F-12K w/o Phenol Red, w/o Sodium Bicarbonate, CD-HAM’S F-12K w/o Sodium Bicarbonate, w/o Sodium Pyruvate, CD-HAM’S F-12K Low Sodium Bicarbonate (1.5 g/L), CD-HAM’S F-12K High Sodium Bicarbonate (3.7 g/L), CD-HAM’S F-12K 15 mM HEPES (3.6 g/L), CD-HAM’S F-12K 25 mM HEPES (5.9 g/L), CD-HAM’S F-12K 15 mM HEPES (3.6 g/L), Low Sodium Bicarbonate (1.5 g/L), CD-HAM’S F-12K 25 mM HEPES (5.9 g/L), Low Sodium Bicarbonate (1.5 g/L), CD-HAM’S F-12K w/o Sodium Pyruvate, w/o Phenol Red
Size

1X 100 ml, 1X 1000 ml, 1X 500 ml

43 reviews for PurMa™ Chemically Defined Kaighn’s Modification of Ham’s F-12 Medium (CD-Ham’s F-12K)

  1. azadi@live.ca –

    Review: we have purchased Lipid Depleted FBS , DMEM F12 …. they were good quality and decent price
    Have you purchased: Yes
    Time of submission: 29-Jan-2025 23:10:30
    Ease of placing the order: 5/5

  2. Anonymous –

    Review:
    Have you purchased:
    Time of submission: 21-Feb-2025 15:30:00
    Ease of placing the order: ‘not given’

  3. Gregory-Mullen@ouhsc.edu –

    Review: We buy *all* of our cell culture media, fetal bovine sera, and lipid-depleted sera from PurMa. The quality of their reagents is absolutely top-notch, giving us reliable, repeatable results in our experiments. We highly recommend PurMa!
    Have you purchased: Yes
    Time of submission: 21-Feb-2025 15:46:22
    Ease of placing the order: 5/5

  4. Anonymous –

    Review:
    Have you purchased:
    Time of submission: 24-Feb-2025 13:50:14
    Ease of placing the order: ‘not given’

  5. lrothblu@ouhsc.edu –

    Review: Serum worked beautifully. Cells grew well and had their usual cycle time. Tissue culture medium also worked very well.
    Have you purchased: It is my first Purchase
    Time of submission: 24-Feb-2025 13:53:22
    Ease of placing the order: 5/5

  6. Anonymous –

    Review:
    Have you purchased:
    Time of submission: 27-Feb-2025 17:42:44
    Ease of placing the order: ‘not given’

  7. Anonymous –

    Review:
    Have you purchased:
    Time of submission: 05-Mar-2025 16:31:44
    Ease of placing the order: ‘not given’

  8. michael-rudolph@ouhsc.edu –

    Review: I have worked directly with PurMa biologics on a number of projects ongoing in my lab. I find the media and the specialty Lipid Depleted Serum to be high quality and very consistent among batches, which is critical to our adipogenesis projects using primary stem cells. Also, the service from PurMa is outstanding for my lab.
    Have you purchased: Yes
    Time of submission: 05-Mar-2025 16:35:21
    Ease of placing the order: 5/5

  9. Anonymous –

    Review:
    Have you purchased:
    Time of submission: 05-Mar-2025 17:29:13
    Ease of placing the order: ‘not given’

  10. Anonymous –

    Review:
    Have you purchased:
    Time of submission: 10-Mar-2025 14:32:38
    Ease of placing the order: ‘not given’

  11. jkurien@hausbio.com –

    Review: We have been working with PurMa biologics for the past several years , we buy cell culture related media like DMEM F12 and EMEM and Fetal Bovine Serum . We appreciate the high quality and reasonable price, and great customer service.
    Have you purchased: Yes
    Time of submission: 12-Mar-2025 12:34:09
    Ease of placing the order: 5/5

  12. hyeungk1968@gmail.comthe –

    Review: I used Lipid Free horse serum of PurMa Biologics.
    The quality is great!
    Have you purchased: Yes
    Time of submission: 17-Mar-2025 12:09:58
    Ease of placing the order: 5/5

  13. jaya-krishnan@omrf.org –

    Review: I started my lab using the regular Gibco media components. We have shifted to Purma past 6 months and see no difference in the quality of our cell culture. Simply saying that Purma is cheaper, quicker to deliver and as good as Gibco. The best part was that Purma customized several media for our fish cell lines which was really helpful. Lastly, Seif walked through the customization of media over Zoom, that gave a lot of confidence for using those media solutions.
    Have you purchased: Yes
    Time of submission: 17-Mar-2025 14:22:58
    Ease of placing the order: 4/5

  14. tayyab-afzal@omrf.org –

    Review: We bought Premium FBS and DMEM cell culture media from PurMa Biologics. We are using them for several mammalian cell line and primary cell culture and the cell growth is perfectly fine. We are totally satisfied with the product quality. Importantly as local vendor, we can have the product available as per our demand ASAP.
    Have you purchased: Yes
    Time of submission: 18-Mar-2025 10:01:50
    Ease of placing the order: 5/5

  15. Fitzkr@gmail.com –

    Review: We purchase everything we need related to cell and tissue culture from PurMa, reagents like: DMEM, LL15, EMEM, FBS, trypsin, antibiotics mix100X and…
    Always great quality, fast processing and shipping.
    We are totally satisfied.
    Have you purchased: Yes
    Time of submission: 22-Mar-2025 10:47:00
    Ease of placing the order: 5/5

  16. vmadka@ouhsc.edu –

    Review:
    Have you purchased: Yes
    Time of submission: 24-Mar-2025 15:02:40
    Ease of placing the order: 4/5

  17. Anupam-Mandal@ouhsc.edu –

    Review: Excellent
    Have you purchased: Yes
    Time of submission: 24-Mar-2025 15:05:43
    Ease of placing the order: 5/5

  18. rohan-varshney@ouhsc.edu –

    Review: Reliable and dependable products. We purchased lipid-depleted FBS (LD-FBS) from PurMa Biologics and it worked great. We cross-checked the lipid content in the serum by GC-MS and Triglyceride assay and as advertised, did not find any lipids in the FBS.
    Have you purchased: Yes
    Time of submission: 24-Mar-2025 15:06:38
    Ease of placing the order: 5/5

  19. Surendra-Shukla@ouhsc.edu –

    Review: Very fast, efficient, and economic service. Great for new PIs like me.
    Have you purchased: Yes
    Time of submission: 25-Apr-2025 14:00:04
    Ease of placing the order: 5/5

  20. vmadka@ouhsc.edu –

    Review:
    Have you purchased: Yes
    Time of submission: 24-Mar-2025 15:02:40
    Ease of placing the order: 4/5

  21. Anupam-Mandal@ouhsc.edu –

    Review: Excellent
    Have you purchased: Yes
    Time of submission: 24-Mar-2025 15:05:43
    Ease of placing the order: 5/5

  22. anil-singh@ouhsc.edu –

    Review: NA
    Have you purchased: Yes
    Time of submission: 25-Mar-2025 10:11:14
    Ease of placing the order: 5/5

  23. Surendra-Shukla@ouhsc.edu –

    Review: Best quality products, best price.
    Have you purchased: Yes
    Time of submission: 18-Apr-2025 09:51:03
    Ease of placing the order: 5/5

  24. madhusmita-rout@ouhsc.edu –

    Review:
    Have you purchased: Yes
    Time of submission: 21-Apr-2025 11:15:46
    Ease of placing the order: 5/5

  25. alexholloway@mesogen.com –

    Review: This serum appears to be a high quality product and worked well for our needs. Purma has an extensive catalog for cell culturing supplies which we are glad we came across.
    Have you purchased: It is my first Purchase
    Time of submission: 24-Apr-2025 16:54:29
    Ease of placing the order: 5/5

  26. jkurien@hausbio.com –

    Review: We have been working with PurMa biologics for the past several years , we buy cell culture related media like DMEM F12 and EMEM and Fetal Bovine Serum . We appreciate the high quality and reasonable price, and great customer service.
    Have you purchased: Yes
    Time of submission: 12-Mar-2025 12:34:09
    Ease of placing the order: 5/5

  27. lrothblu@ouhsc.edu –

    Review: Serum worked beautifully. Cells grew well and had their usual cycle time. Tissue culture medium also worked very well.
    Have you purchased: It is my first Purchase
    Time of submission: 24-Feb-2025 13:53:22
    Ease of placing the order: 5/5

  28. hyeungk1968@gmail.comthe –

    Review: I used Lipid Free horse serum of PurMa Biologics.
    The quality is great!
    Have you purchased: Yes
    Time of submission: 17-Mar-2025 12:09:58
    Ease of placing the order: 5/5

  29. jaya-krishnan@omrf.org –

    Review: I started my lab using the regular Gibco media components. We have shifted to Purma past 6 months and see no difference in the quality of our cell culture. Simply saying that Purma is cheaper, quicker to deliver and as good as Gibco. The best part was that Purma customized several media for our fish cell lines which was really helpful. Lastly, Seif walked through the customization of media over Zoom, that gave a lot of confidence for using those media solutions.
    Have you purchased: Yes
    Time of submission: 17-Mar-2025 14:22:58
    Ease of placing the order: 4/5

  30. michael-rudolph@ouhsc.edu –

    Review: I have worked directly with PurMa biologics on a number of projects ongoing in my lab. I find the media and the specialty Lipid Depleted Serum to be high quality and very consistent among batches, which is critical to our adipogenesis projects using primary stem cells. Also, the service from PurMa is outstanding for my lab.
    Have you purchased: Yes
    Time of submission: 05-Mar-2025 16:35:21
    Ease of placing the order: 5/5

  31. tayyab-afzal@omrf.org –

    Review: We bought Premium FBS and DMEM cell culture media from PurMa Biologics. We are using them for several mammalian cell line and primary cell culture and the cell growth is perfectly fine. We are totally satisfied with the product quality. Importantly as local vendor, we can have the product available as per our demand ASAP.
    Have you purchased: Yes
    Time of submission: 18-Mar-2025 10:01:50
    Ease of placing the order: 5/5

  32. Fitzkr@gmail.com –

    Review: We purchase everything we need related to cell and tissue culture from PurMa, reagents like: DMEM, LL15, EMEM, FBS, trypsin, antibiotics mix100X and…
    Always great quality, fast processing and shipping.
    We are totally satisfied.
    Have you purchased: Yes
    Time of submission: 22-Mar-2025 10:47:00
    Ease of placing the order: 5/5

  33. Gregory-Mullen@ouhsc.edu –

    Review: We buy *all* of our cell culture media, fetal bovine sera, and lipid-depleted sera from PurMa. The quality of their reagents is absolutely top-notch, giving us reliable, repeatable results in our experiments. We highly recommend PurMa!
    Have you purchased: Yes
    Time of submission: 21-Feb-2025 15:46:22
    Ease of placing the order: 5/5

  34. azadi@live.ca –

    Review: we have purchased Lipid Depleted FBS , DMEM F12 …. they were good quality and decent price
    Have you purchased: Yes
    Time of submission: 29-Jan-2025 23:10:30
    Ease of placing the order: 5/5

  35. Ravi-Gor@ouhsc.edu –

    Review: I recently had the pleasure of interacting with Dr. Seif Azadi, and I want to express my gratitude for his expertise and timely assistance. His knowledge and dedication were instrumental in addressing our lab’s needs efficiently.
    Have you purchased: It is my first Purchase
    Time of submission: 25-Jun-2025 12:00:09
    Ease of placing the order: 5/5

  36. xiangpeng-li@ou.edu –

    Review: PurMa helped us with the customized medium. They are professional and friendly. I appreciate their great work.
    Have you purchased: Yes
    Time of submission: 14-Aug-2025 12:59:31
    Ease of placing the order: 5/5

  37. jianhua.song@appliedstemcell.com –

    Review: it is reliable vendor!
    Have you purchased: Yes
    Time of submission: 07-Oct-2025 17:14:12
    Ease of placing the order: 5/5

  38. Zhenghui.Liu@appliedstemcell.com –

    Review: We always buy our agarose from PurMa and have never been disappointed.
    Have you purchased: Yes
    Time of submission: 08-Oct-2025 11:17:53
    Ease of placing the order: 5/5

  39. ravi-gor@ou.edu –

    Review: I recently had the pleasure of interacting with Dr. Seif Azadi from Purma Biologics, and I cannot thank him enough for his expertise and prompt assistance. His deep knowledge and dedication were instrumental in meeting our laboratory’s needs with remarkable efficiency.
    We ordered FBS, DMEM, and Trypsin from Purma Biologics, and I’m thrilled to report that all the products have performed exceptionally well. They consistently deliver reproducible results, significantly enhancing the reliability of our experiments.
    Thank you, Team Purma Biologics, for your good products and support!
    Have you purchased: It is my first Purchase
    Time of submission: 23-Oct-2025 17:30:25
    Ease of placing the order: 5/5

  40. info@takbiotechs.com –

    Review: We are extremely satisfied with the quality and consistency of PURMA Biologics products. Both the FBS and cell culture media have delivered excellent performance in our applications, with reliable batch-to-batch consistency. Highly recommended for research and bioprocessing use.
    Have you purchased: Yes
    Time of submission: 11-Apr-2026 14:49:27
    Ease of placing the order: 5/5

  41. aslan.batur@aytakbiotech.com –

    Review: We’ve had a great experience with PURMA Biologics products. In particular, their FBS has shown excellent consistency and performance, and their DMEM media has worked very well in our cell culture applications. Overall, very reliable quality.
    Have you purchased: Yes
    Time of submission: 11-Apr-2026 14:57:39
    Ease of placing the order: 5/5

  42. maya.hart@takbiomed.com –

    Review: It’s been a pleasure working with PURMA Biologics. Their service is efficient, delivery is fast, and the quality of their products has met our expectations consistently. Very smooth collaboration overall.
    Have you purchased: Yes
    Time of submission: 11-Apr-2026 15:06:47
    Ease of placing the order: 5/5

  43. hajipour@etsu.edu –

    Review: PurMa products are of excellent quality and highly reliable.
    Have you purchased: Yes
    Time of submission: 11-Apr-2026 16:23:59
    Ease of placing the order: 5/5

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