Gibco Essential 6 Medium

Together with Essential 8 Medium, Essential 6 Medium completes a defined, xeno-free PSC workflow by serving as a growth factor–free base for differentiation and reprogramming.

  • Flexible—provides a flexible growth factor-free base where TGFβ, bFGF, or other proteins, molecules, and supplements can be added to suit different applications
  • Enables differentiation—does not contain bFGF, thereby enabling embryoid body (EB) formation and directed differentiation
  • Supports reprogramming—does not contain TGFβ, which has a negative effect on reprogramming efficiency

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Gibco PSC Media are manufactured according to cGMP for medical devices, 21 CFR Part 820

A versatile basal medium for differentiation and other PSC applications

Unlike other media used in PSC culture, Essential 6 Medium does not contain bFGF or TGFβ. Therefore, Essential 6 Medium can be used as a base for the differentiation of various cell types in the endodermal, mesodermal, and ectodermal lineages (Figures 1–3).

Differentiated NSCs grown in Gibco Essential 6 Medium
Figure 1. Neural stem cell (NSC) differentiation using Essential 6 Medium. PSCs cultured in Essential 8 Medium on rhVTN-N were differentiated into NSCs using Essential 6 Medium as a base, in accordance to Lippmann ES, et al. Stem Cells (2014). NSCs were stained with antibodies against Pax6 (red) and N-cadherin (green) with a DAPI counterstain (blue). (Data generated by Randolph Ashton, PhD and Nisha Iyer, PhD, University of Wisconsin, Madison.)
Differentiated cardiomyocytes grown in Gibco Essential 6 Medium
Figure 2. Cardiomyocyte differentiation using Essential 6 Medium. PSCs were differentiated into cardiomyocytes using WNT and GSK3B inhibitors in Essential 6 Medium. Cardiomyocytes were stained with antibodies for TNNT2 (green) and NKX2.5 (red) with a DAPI counterstain (blue). 
Differentiated motor neurons grown in Gibco Essential 6 Medium and graph showing expression profiles indicative of motor neuron progenitors
Figure 3. Motor neuron (MN) differentiation using Essential 6 Medium. Combinations of growth factors and small molecules were added sequentially to PSCs in Essential 6 Medium according to the protocol in Lippmann ES, et al. Stem Cell Reports (2015) in order to generate various types of motor neurons. (A) Expression of GFP (green) under the motor neuron-specific Hb9 promoter in the HUES3-HB9::GFP hESC line indicates differentiation into the motor neuron lineage. (B) RT-PCR analysis was performed and data were normalized at time 0 of CHIR treatment. The data reveal different Hox expression profiles indicative of regionalized motor neuron progenitors (pMN). (Data generated by Randolph Ashton, PhD and Nisha Iyer, PhD, University of Wisconsin, Madison.)

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