FluxMPS™ Dulbecco's Modified Eagle Medium (DMEM), 25mM HEPES w/o Glucose, L-Glutamine, Sodium Bicarbonate, Phenol Red: 1X Liquid

FluxMPS™ Dulbecco's Modified Eagle Medium (DMEM), 25mM HEPES w/o Glucose, L-Glutamine, Sodium Bicarbonate, Phenol Red: 1X Liquid

FluxMPS™ DCP-DMEMH-GQPR1X is a Microfluidics Suitable, quadruple-stage ultra-filtered (0.1 µm ×2 + 0.04 µm ×2) glucose-free, HEPES-buffered DMEM with sodium bicarbonate, L-glutamine, sodium pyruvate and phenol red intentionally omitted. Buffered solely by 25 mM HEPES, it is engineered for metabolic flux analysis, carbon-source titration, Agilent Seahorse XF assays, and organ-on-a-chip (OoC) platforms where carbon source identity, buffering chemistry, and optical background must all be independently controlled. The final 0.04 µm filtration stage is five times finer than the 0.22 µm membranes used in conventional sterile filtration.

• Glucose-free, L-glutamine-free, sodium pyruvate-free, sodium bicarbonate-free and phenol red-free — add your own carbon source, buffering system, and colorimetric indicator as your protocol requires
• 25 mM HEPES (pKa 7.3 at 37°C) is the sole buffering system — stable pH outside CO₂ incubators, suited to Seahorse XF assays, open-top chips, and off-incubator metabolic sampling
• Quadruple-stage filtration (0.1 µm ×2 + 0.04 µm ×2) reaching a 0.04 µm final cut-off, five times finer than conventional 0.22 µm-filtered media
• Endotoxin release specification < 0.05 EU/mL (LAL, USP <85>), tested per manufacturing batch
• Manufactured under an ISO 13485:2016 quality management system; final QC at Diagnocine, Totowa, NJ
• Bicarbonate-free, phenol red-free formulation meets the media requirements for Agilent Seahorse XF assays
• Custom glucose concentrations, carbon sources, and nutrient modifications available on request

Engineered where standard glucose-free DMEM falls short

Conventional 0.22 µm-filtered glucose-free DMEM leaves subvisible particulates, mycoplasma-scale contaminants and endotoxin unaddressed — all of which independently perturb glycolytic and mitochondrial readouts. FluxMPS™ DCP-DMEMH-GQPR1X removes bicarbonate and phenol red as well as glucose, giving a clean HEPES-only buffered base for metabolic experiments where every variable must be defined by the researcher.

Quadruple-stage filtration system

Four serial filtration stages, run as two dedicated prefilter + final-filter pairs, reach a final 0.04 µm polish under aseptic fill conditions — important for glucose-free metabolic assays, where particulate contamination and endotoxin can each independently perturb glycolytic and mitochondrial readouts.

1. 1

   0.1 µm Prefiltration I

   Removes large particulate, cell debris and protein aggregates; protects the first 0.04 µm cartridge from early fouling.

2. 2

   0.04 µm Final filtration I

   First 0.04 µm pass; retains sub-micron particulates and microaggregates that a 0.22 µm filter would not.

3. 3

   0.1 µm Prefiltration II

   Second, dedicated prefilter protecting the second 0.04 µm cartridge — not a polish of Stage 2's effluent, but redundancy for Stage 4.

4. 4

   0.04 µm Final filtration II — Polish

   Ultimate polishing filter prior to aseptic fill and finish.

Metabolic research and microfluidic applications

FluxMPS™ DCP-DMEMH-GQPR1X is purpose-built for experiments where carbon source, buffering chemistry, and optical background must all be controlled independently — from Seahorse XF assays to ¹³C metabolic flux tracing and organ-on-a-chip metabolic studies.

Seahorse XF & Real-Time Metabolic Flux

Glucose-free, bicarbonate-free, phenol red-free DMEM is the formulation Agilent recommends as a base for Seahorse XF Glycolysis Stress Tests (add glucose, oligomycin, 2-DG) and Mito Stress Tests (add glucose, glutamine and pyruvate, then oligomycin, FCCP, rotenone/antimycin). The 25 mM HEPES in DCP-DMEMH-GQPR1X maintains pH between injection events without a CO₂ atmosphere.

• Glycolysis Stress Test: glucose-free base gives a low baseline ECAR prior to glucose injection
• Mito Stress Test: add glucose, glutamine and pyruvate to defined concentrations, free of any pre-existing carbon source
• ¹³C isotope tracing: add U-¹³C₂-glucose at a known specific activity without dilution from background glucose

Inquiry required: custom glucose, galactose, or ¹³C-carbon source co-formulations are available. Contact support@diagnocine.com.

Automated Bioreactors & Robotics

For closed-loop, automated bioreactor and robotic perfusion platforms where valve and sensor fouling drive unplanned downtime, an optional 0.01 µm (10 nm) ultra nano-filtered MPS Grade variant of this formulation is available as a six-stage cascade (0.1 µm ×2 → 0.04 µm ×2 → 0.02 µm → 0.01 µm), beyond the 0.04 µm Microfluidics Suitable tier described on this page.

• Total particulate exclusion: six-stage cascade targets sub-40 nm residual particulate
• Valve & sensor protection: reduces particulate load reaching micro-valves and optical sensors in closed-loop systems
• Extended perfusion stability: intended for long-duration, unattended perfusion runs

Inquiry required: the 0.01 µm MPS Grade variant is produced to order. Contact support@diagnocine.com.

Analytical release specifications

Every lot is released against the full specification matrix below. CoA available on request: support@diagnocine.com.

Full composition (mg/L)

Glucose-free, bicarbonate-free DMEM + HEPES scaffold: 29 ingredients per lot, with CAS numbers where known. Glucose, sodium bicarbonate, L-glutamine, sodium pyruvate and phenol red are intentionally absent. HEPES (25 mM = 5958 mg/L, CAS 7365-45-9) is listed under OTHERS.

Manufacturing & compliance

Every FluxMPS™ product is manufactured and released under a multi-layer quality system.

How DCP-DMEMH-GQPR1X compares

FluxMPS™ DCP-DMEMH-GQPR1X versus published specifications from other DMEM suppliers.

Comparison figures from published supplier specifications, accessed 2026-09-02. Suppliers that publish no numeric endotoxin specification are shown as "Not specified".

Frequently asked questions

Common questions about FluxMPS™ DCP-DMEMH-GQPR1X glucose-free, HEPES-buffered DMEM.

Supporting literature

Key publications supporting glucose-free, HEPES-buffered DMEM in metabolic flux analysis, Seahorse XF assays, isotope tracing, and organ-on-a-chip metabolic studies.

1. Warburg O. On the origin of cancer cells. Science. 1956;123:309–314. doi:10.1126/science.123.3191.309
2. Jain M, et al. Metabolite profiling identifies a key role for glycine in rapid cancer cell proliferation. Science. 2012;336:1040–1044. doi:10.1126/science.1218595
3. Birsoy K, et al. An essential role of the mitochondrial electron transport chain in cell proliferation is to enable aspartate synthesis. Cell. 2015;162:540–551. doi:10.1016/j.cell.2015.07.016
4. Sullivan LB, et al. Supporting aspartate biosynthesis is an essential function of respiration in proliferating cells. Cell. 2015;162:552–563. doi:10.1016/j.cell.2015.07.017
5. Huh D, et al. Reconstituting organ-level lung functions on a chip. Science. 2010;328:1662–1668. doi:10.1126/science.1188302
6. Bhatia SN, Ingber DE. Microfluidic organs-on-chips. Nat Biotechnol. 2014;32:760–772. doi:10.1038/nbt.2989
7. Schell JC, et al. A role for the mitochondrial pyruvate carrier as a repressor of the Warburg effect and colon cancer cell growth. Mol Cell. 2014;56:400–413. doi:10.1016/j.molcel.2014.09.026
8. Faubert B, et al. Lactate metabolism in human lung tumors. Cell. 2017;171:358–371. doi:10.1016/j.cell.2017.09.019
9. Novak R, et al. Robotic fluidic coupling and interrogation of multiple vascularized organ chips. Nat Biomed Eng. 2020;4:407–420. doi:10.1038/s41551-019-0497-x