Scientist maintaining cell cultures in a laboratory

Optimized media. Maximized performance. Long-term success.

Meet your upstream process goals with optimized formulations, developed through collaboration. Customize your unique medium and process for increased titers, quality and manufacturability by partnering with Gibco Media by Design Services.  We have been assisting clients with their cell culture needs for more than 60 years. Our media development options include traditional, multi-omics and key driver identification workflows, allowing you the flexibility to characterize your process to help improve productivity.

Multi-omics media development workflow

What is the omics difference?  

The Gibco Media by Design Services multi-omics workflow incorporates insights from the analyses of thousands of components (proteins and metabolites) within the cell, in addition to spent media analysis, to fully understand the nutritional requirements of your cell line. This results in a final formulation that can help improve process productivity and enhance product quality.

This service relies on advanced technology to support data intelligence. This includes the highest resolution UPLC-MS instrumentation and the use of predictive modeling and bioinformatics.

Potential benefits of a multi-omics approach  

  • Increased cell line productivity/titer  
  • Enhanced protein quality  
  • Improved process and cost efficiencies 

Industry-leading technology  

Our multi-omics workflow relies on advanced technology to support our data intelligence. This includes:  

  • Very high resolution UPLC-MS instrumentation   
  • Predictive analytics  
  • Bioinformatics  

Learn more:


Specific applications for media development projects

The Gibco Media by Design Services team can leverage their medium development expertise to specific applications and needs in the industry. Some examples include:

  • mAbs and complex recombinant proteins (novel and biosimilars) 
  • Vaccines 
  • Cell and gene therapies

Dedicated project management

We employ a phased approach to our projects with a go/no-go decision point at the end of each phase. In addition, a Certified Project Manager will be assigned to your project to act as a single dedicated point of contact for all your needs, and to drive on-time completion.

Traditional media development workflow

Our traditional media development workflow uses the classical approach to media optimization. Spent media analyses of a few key components, including select water soluble vitamins and amino acids, are used in iterative DOE (design of experiment) steps to optimize medium and feed formulations to help you meet your unique process goals.

  • Customized solutions can be completed at your facility or ours
  • Media is developed with manufacturing in mind–ensuring formulations are scalable, able to be manufactured in multiple formats, and aligned with your cost expectations
  • When speed is important, our Quick Start process is an option for traditional media development workflow customers. The program allows projects to kick off faster with less legal paperwork getting you to results sooner

You can flexibly choose to work with the Media by Design Services team at your site or at a Gibco site through a consultation service or full-service project, respectively.


Learn more:


Specific applications for media development projects

The Gibco Media by Design Services team can leverage their medium development expertise to specific applications and needs in the industry. Some examples include:

  • mAbs and complex recombinant proteins (novel and biosimilars) 
  • Vaccines 
  • Cell and gene therapies

Dedicated project management

We employ a phased approach to our projects with a go/no-go decision point at the end of each phase. In addition, a Certified Project Manager will be assigned to your project to act as a single dedicated point of contact for all your needs, and to drive on-time completion.

Key driver identification workflow

Our key driver identification (KDI) approach uses statistical modeling of analytical data generated to identify critical media components that may have significant impacts on process performance. These components must be kept within specific concentration ranges to achieve optimal and consistent results. This model is then used to inform media design to facilitate improved productivity and enhanced consistency.


Potential outcomes of a KDI approach 

  • Formulation optimization 
  • Raw material screening (for supplements only, such as peptones)
  • Micro-addition development

Learn more:


Specific applications for media development projects

The Gibco Media by Design Services team can leverage their medium development expertise to specific applications and needs in the industry. Some examples include:

  • mAbs and complex recombinant proteins (novel and biosimilars) 
  • Vaccines 
  • Cell and gene therapies

Dedicated project management

We employ a phased approach to our projects with a go/no-go decision point at the end of each phase. In addition, a Certified Project Manager will be assigned to your project to act as a single dedicated point of contact for all your needs, and to drive on-time completion.

Multi-omics media development workflow

What is the omics difference?  

The Gibco Media by Design Services multi-omics workflow incorporates insights from the analyses of thousands of components (proteins and metabolites) within the cell, in addition to spent media analysis, to fully understand the nutritional requirements of your cell line. This results in a final formulation that can help improve process productivity and enhance product quality.

This service relies on advanced technology to support data intelligence. This includes the highest resolution UPLC-MS instrumentation and the use of predictive modeling and bioinformatics.

Potential benefits of a multi-omics approach  

  • Increased cell line productivity/titer  
  • Enhanced protein quality  
  • Improved process and cost efficiencies 

Industry-leading technology  

Our multi-omics workflow relies on advanced technology to support our data intelligence. This includes:  

  • Very high resolution UPLC-MS instrumentation   
  • Predictive analytics  
  • Bioinformatics  

Learn more:


Specific applications for media development projects

The Gibco Media by Design Services team can leverage their medium development expertise to specific applications and needs in the industry. Some examples include:

  • mAbs and complex recombinant proteins (novel and biosimilars) 
  • Vaccines 
  • Cell and gene therapies

Dedicated project management

We employ a phased approach to our projects with a go/no-go decision point at the end of each phase. In addition, a Certified Project Manager will be assigned to your project to act as a single dedicated point of contact for all your needs, and to drive on-time completion.

Traditional media development workflow

Our traditional media development workflow uses the classical approach to media optimization. Spent media analyses of a few key components, including select water soluble vitamins and amino acids, are used in iterative DOE (design of experiment) steps to optimize medium and feed formulations to help you meet your unique process goals.

  • Customized solutions can be completed at your facility or ours
  • Media is developed with manufacturing in mind–ensuring formulations are scalable, able to be manufactured in multiple formats, and aligned with your cost expectations
  • When speed is important, our Quick Start process is an option for traditional media development workflow customers. The program allows projects to kick off faster with less legal paperwork getting you to results sooner

You can flexibly choose to work with the Media by Design Services team at your site or at a Gibco site through a consultation service or full-service project, respectively.


Learn more:


Specific applications for media development projects

The Gibco Media by Design Services team can leverage their medium development expertise to specific applications and needs in the industry. Some examples include:

  • mAbs and complex recombinant proteins (novel and biosimilars) 
  • Vaccines 
  • Cell and gene therapies

Dedicated project management

We employ a phased approach to our projects with a go/no-go decision point at the end of each phase. In addition, a Certified Project Manager will be assigned to your project to act as a single dedicated point of contact for all your needs, and to drive on-time completion.

Key driver identification workflow

Our key driver identification (KDI) approach uses statistical modeling of analytical data generated to identify critical media components that may have significant impacts on process performance. These components must be kept within specific concentration ranges to achieve optimal and consistent results. This model is then used to inform media design to facilitate improved productivity and enhanced consistency.


Potential outcomes of a KDI approach 

  • Formulation optimization 
  • Raw material screening (for supplements only, such as peptones)
  • Micro-addition development

Learn more:


Specific applications for media development projects

The Gibco Media by Design Services team can leverage their medium development expertise to specific applications and needs in the industry. Some examples include:

  • mAbs and complex recombinant proteins (novel and biosimilars) 
  • Vaccines 
  • Cell and gene therapies

Dedicated project management

We employ a phased approach to our projects with a go/no-go decision point at the end of each phase. In addition, a Certified Project Manager will be assigned to your project to act as a single dedicated point of contact for all your needs, and to drive on-time completion.


Benefits of a media development collaboration

Whether you are having trouble producing a complex protein, achieving the required titer to meet market demands, or achieving a specific glycoform profile, Gibco Media by Design Services can develop a custom solution for you.

Example of potential project goals:

  • Manufacture challenging molecules (fusion proteins, enzymes, viruses)
  • Increase product titers
  • Modify product quality attributes (e.g., achieve specific glycoform profile)

A medium and feed platform is helpful to customers who are utilizing multiple clones to produce different proteins. Being able to use the same medium and feed for all processes streamlines the development, scale-up, and tech transfer activities to allow customers to move quickly from discovery to commercial launch.

Example of potential project goals:

  • Develop a medium and feed to support different cell lines from a single host cell line
  • Develop a universal medium and feed to work with different cell types
  • Develop a feed solution for a specific cell line to work with a platform medium

We apply our knowledge of media design, raw material sourcing, and manufacturing to help improve process consistency, reduce risk of adventitious agents, and meet quality and regulatory requirements. 

Examples of improvements gained in project:

  • Eliminate serum from the medium
  • Eliminate or reduce other components of animal origin (e.g., insulin, transferrin, cholesterol)
  • Eliminate or reduce other complex components (e.g., recombinant proteins, hydrolysates)
  • Replace components that do not have a robust source/supply chain
  • Replace reagent grade, non-compendial components with those of appropriate grade for the target market (e.g., EP, BP, USP, JP)
  • Reformat liquid medium as a dry powder or Advance Granulation Technology (AGT)

Our media development service provides you the option to work with our experts as an extension of your own team in two different ways:

  • Full service project: media formulation, cell culture experiments. and analyses are performed at a Gibco site.
  • Consult service project: cell culture experiments are performed at the customer site while Gibco supports with experiment design, media formulation, and analytics.


Unsure which service might be right for you? 

Try our Media by Design™ Services interactive selection guide. Select your modality and challenge, learn about options available for your specific needs.

Services Selector

Podcast: Multi-omics in Media Development

Video: Advances in media development

Bioprocessing resources

Access a targeted collection of scientific application notes, case studies, posters, white papers and more for bioprocessing:

For Research Use only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.