Ham's F-12 Nutrient Mixture (F-12) was designed for serum-free single-cell plating of Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cells. F-12 has since been used for serum-free growth of CHO cultures as well as serum-supplemented growth of other mammalian cells, including chondrocytes and rat prostate epithelial cells.
Compared to other basal media, F-12 contains a wider variety of components, including zinc, putrescine, hypoxanthine, and thymidine. Serum-free growth of CHO cells in F-12 has led to a variety of improved formulations. F-12 contains no proteins or growth factors. Therefore, F-12 requires supplementation, commonly with 10% Fetal Bovine Serum (FBS). F-12 uses a sodium bicarbonate buffer system (1.176 g / L) and therefore requires a 5-10% CO₂ environment to maintain physiological pH.

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