FluxMPS™ Iscove's Modified Dulbecco's Medium (IMDM) High Glucose w/o Phenol Red : 2X Liquid
FluxMPS™ Iscove's Modified Dulbecco's Medium (IMDM), High Glucose w/o Phenol Red: 2X Liquid
Double-strength (2X) IMDM High Glucose — 9.0 g/L glucose in the concentrate, 4.5 g/L at 1X — for methylcellulose CFU assays, hybridoma and lymphoid culture, plaque overlays, soft agar and 3D hydrogels, ultra-filtered through a quadruple-stage 0.1 µm / 0.04 µm filtration system. With a sodium bicarbonate buffer and no Phenol Red, it is approximately 5× cleaner than conventional 0.22 µm-filtered media by particulate count.
- 2X concentrate: mix with an equal volume of a compatible solution or matrix for a final 1X medium
- IMDM enrichment: selenium, extra amino acids and vitamins versus DMEM for rapidly proliferating, high-density cultures
- Quadruple-stage filtration: 0.1 µm membrane filtered twice, 0.04 µm membrane filtered twice
- 0.04 µm nano-filtration final polish acts as a mycoplasma barrier
- Endotoxin < 0.05 EU/mL (USP <85> BET)
- Formulation: [+] 9.0 g/L Glucose, [+] L-Glutamine, [+] Sodium Pyruvate, [+] Sodium Bicarbonate; [−] Phenol Red, [−] HEPES
- Ultrapure Type 1 water (18.2 MΩ·cm); ISO Class 5 (Class 100) aseptic fill in Totowa, NJ
- Custom formulations available — pH, glucose, HEPES, salts, and nutrient composition on request
- D-Glucose9,000 mg/L
- L-Glutamine1,168 mg/L
- Sodium Pyruvate220 mg/L
- BufferNaHCO₃ 6,048 mg/L
- Phenol RedNot included
- AppearancePale Yellow
- pH7.4 (± 0.04)
- Endotoxin< 0.05 EU/mL
- Filtration0.1 µm ×2 + 0.04 µm ×2
- Format2X liquid, 500 mL
Engineered where standard media fails
Conventional IMDM is sterile-filtered once at 0.22 µm. That pore size can pass mycoplasma and leaves subvisible particulates that settle in microchannels, foul membranes and hydrogels, and add noise to optical readouts.[11,12] FluxMPS™ IMDM keeps Iscove's formulation and removes that failure mode.
Microchannel-safe purity
A 0.04 µm final filter and USP <788> particulate control keep subvisible debris out of chips, tubing, membranes and matrices.
Total metabolic control
Defined 9,000 mg/L D-glucose, 1,168 mg/L L-glutamine and 220 mg/L sodium pyruvate in the 2X (half that at 1X).
Ultrapure-grade water
Made with Ultrapure Type 1 water (18.2 MΩ·cm) and released at < 0.05 EU/mL endotoxin by USP <85>.
Low background for imaging
Particle-depleted medium reduces scatter and debris artifacts in colony counting, confocal imaging and on-chip sensing, and the Phenol Red-free formulation removes color background.
Matrix-ready 2X strength
40 components at double strength, so agar, collagen, hydrogels or treatment solutions can be added 1:1 without diluting the medium below 1X.
Customization on demand
pH, glucose, HEPES, salts, and nutrient composition on request — contact support@diagnocine.com.
Quadruple-stage filtration system
Every lot of DCP-IMDM-R2X is membrane filtered at 0.1 µm twice and 0.04 µm twice — a ready-to-dilute 2X IMDM polished to a 0.04 µm final pore size, a purity level single-pass 0.22 µm media cannot reach.
-
01
0.1 µmPre-filtration I
Removes large particulates and aggregates and extends the life of the downstream filters.
-
02
0.04 µmPre-filtration II
Retains fine particulates, bacteria and mycoplasma.
-
03
0.1 µmSterile-filtration I
Second-pass redundancy that catches anything shed or bypassed upstream.
-
04
0.04 µmSterile-filtration II — Final Polish
Final nano-polish immediately before ISO Class 5 aseptic fill.
Performance vs. conventional media
By particulate count, FluxMPS™ IMDM is approximately 5× cleaner than conventional 0.22 µm-filtered media, lowering clog risk in narrow channels and long perfusion runs.
© Diagnocine® — DCP-IMDM-R2X
Where FluxMPS™ IMDM fits
Iscove's Modified Dulbecco's Medium (IMDM), High Glucose (4500 mg/L), is an enriched modification of DMEM that supplies glucose, amino acids, vitamins, inorganic salts, and selenium for mammalian-cell research.[1,2] With appropriate supplementation, IMDM supports selected rapidly proliferating and high-density cultures, including lymphoid and macrophage cell systems. This basal medium can be used in laboratory investigations of hematopoietic cells, cell proliferation, and hybridoma culture when the formulation and supplements are suitable for the chosen cells.[1,3] It is not a complete growth medium by itself; serum or a validated alternative supplement system is generally required.
Researchers may use the 2X formulation to incorporate glucose solutions, alternative carbon sources, treatment solutions, hydrogels, agarose, methylcellulose, cell suspensions, or other high-volume components without diluting the basal nutrients. For a true twofold concentrate of a 4500 mg/L glucose formulation, the stock glucose concentration is 9000 mg/L, returning to 4500 mg/L after equal-volume mixing with a compatible glucose-free component; this is a dilution calculation, not evidence of a particular commercial 2X product. Other ingredients contributed by the diluent, serum, cell suspension, and supplements must be included when determining the final composition.
The purpose is dilution compensation, not automatically faster growth or a recommendation to culture cells at twice the normal medium strength. A documented example is making an IMDM-containing methylcellulose preparation for hematopoietic progenitor colony assays.
It is useful for:
1. Virus assays (semi-solid overlays)
- Viral plaque assay (agarose overlay)
- Viral plaque assay (Avicel / CMC liquid overlay)
- Overlay added directly onto inoculum
- Focus-forming assay
- Plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT)
- Virus plaque purification
- Baculovirus plaque assay (insect cells)
2. Anchorage-independent growth and clonogenic assays
- Soft agar colony formation / transformation assay
- Tumor stem-cell and drug-sensitivity clonogenic assay
- Semi-solid cloning (hybridoma, CHO, HEK293)
- Hematopoietic colony-forming (CFU) assay
- Embryoid body / sphere formation in methylcellulose
3. 3D hydrogel embedding
- Collagen I gel culture
- Agarose gel culture (chondrocytes)
- Alginate encapsulation
- Fibrin gel culture
- PEG hydrogel culture
- Hyaluronic acid hydrogel culture
- Gelatin / GelMA bioinks and 3D bioprinting
- Microfluidic and organ-on-chip gel loading
4. Aqueous test material at high volume
- Environmental water toxicity testing
- Plant / herbal water extract testing
- Medical device saline extract testing (ISO 10993-5 type)
- Nanoparticle suspension testing
- Body fluid testing (serum, CSF, urine, milk)
- Conditioned medium replenishment
- Water- or buffer-dissolved compound dosing
- Osmolality / medium-strength studies
5. Cryopreservation
- 2X freezing medium (cell vials)
- 96-well clone freezing (ES cells)
6. Media preparation and bioprocess
- Double-strength stock from powdered medium
- Concentrated feeds for fed-batch and perfusion bioreactors
Automated Bioreactors & Robotics
For automated bioreactors, liquid-handling robots and closed perfusion loops with fine valves and in-line sensors, an optional 10 nm (0.01 µm) ultra-filtered grade of this medium is available.
- Total Particulate Exclusion: 0.01 µm filtration removes virtually all particulates down to the nanometer scale.
- Valve & Sensor Protection: keeps micro-valves, pumps and optical or electrochemical sensors free of deposits.
- Extended Perfusion Stability: supports long, uninterrupted perfusion runs with fewer line changes.
Inquiry Required: the 0.01 µm grade is made on request — email support@diagnocine.com with your catalog number and volume.
Hematopoietic CFU Assays
A 2X base for IMDM-containing methylcellulose preparations used in hematopoietic progenitor colony-forming assays.
Hybridoma & Lymphoid Cells
Developed for high-density lymphoid culture and widely used for hybridoma and semi-solid cloning when appropriately supplemented.[1,3]
Plaque & Overlay Assays
Mix 1:1 with agarose, Avicel or CMC for plaque, focus-forming, PRNT and plaque-purification overlays at 1X medium strength.
Soft Agar & Hydrogel Embedding
Compensates for dilution in soft-agar, collagen, alginate, fibrin, PEG, hyaluronic acid and GelMA preparations.[4,5]
Organ-on-a-Chip & MPS
Microchannel-safe medium for perfused organ-, tissue- and body-on-a-chip platforms.[8,9,10]
Microscopy & Optical Sensing
Fewer particles means cleaner fields for colony counting, confocal imaging and on-chip biosensors; no Phenol Red background.
Specifications & quality control
Release specifications for DCP-IMDM-R2X. Lot-specific values are reported on the Certificate of Analysis.
| Parameter | Specification |
|---|---|
| Formulation | [+] 9.0 g/L Glucose, [+] L-Glutamine, [+] Sodium Pyruvate, [+] Sodium Bicarbonate; [−] Phenol Red, [−] HEPES |
| Concentration | 2X (dilute 1:1 to 1X) |
| Appearance | Pale Yellow |
| pH | 7.4 (± 0.04) USP <791> |
| Osmolality | Measured per lot; reported on CoA USP <785> |
| D-Glucose | 9,000 mg/L (9.0 g/L; 4.5 g/L at 1X) |
| L-Glutamine | 1,168 mg/L |
| Sodium Pyruvate | 220 mg/L |
| Sodium Bicarbonate | 6,048 mg/L |
| Phenol Red | Not included |
| HEPES | Not included |
| Sodium selenite | 0.0346 mg/L |
| Parameter | Specification |
|---|---|
| Endotoxin | < 0.05 EU/mL USP <85> BET |
| Sterility | No bacterial or fungal growth after 14 days of incubation USP <71> |
| Mycoplasma | 0.04 µm barrier filtration USP <63> equiv. |
| Particulate ≥10 µm | Meets limits USP <788> M2 |
| Particulate ≥25 µm | Meets limits USP <788> M2 |
| Water purity | Ultrapure Type 1, 18.2 MΩ·cm |
| Manufacturing std. | ISO 13485:2016 ISO |
| Fill environment | ISO Class 5 (Class 100) ISO |
| Parameter | Specification |
|---|---|
| Storage temperature | 2–8 °C, protected from light |
| Freeze-thaw | Do not freeze |
| Shelf life | 12 months; use before the expiry date on the product label |
| Shipping condition | Ice Pack |
| CO₂ requirement | CO₂-controlled incubator after dilution to 1X; sodium bicarbonate 6,048 mg/L in the 2X, 3,024 mg/L at 1X |
| Parameter | Specification |
|---|---|
| Raw material grade | High-purity, cell-culture-tested components |
| Traceability | Lot-traceable; CoA per lot |
| Manufacturing QMS | ISO 13485:2016 ISO |
| Regulatory alignment | 21 CFR Part 820 (cGMP) aligned |
| Production method | Micro-batch 2X liquid, quadruple-stage filtered; aseptic fill and finish in Totowa, NJ |
| Intended use | For Research Use Only (RUO) |
Full composition (mg/L)
DCP-IMDM-R2X is 2X IMDM High Glucose with 9.0 g/L glucose, L-glutamine, sodium pyruvate and sodium bicarbonate. It does not contain Phenol Red nor HEPES. Users are advised to review the literature for recommendations regarding medium supplementation and physiological growth requirements specific for different cell lines. All 40 components are listed below at 2X strength; values are per-lot release basis and are halved after 1:1 dilution.
| Component | CAS Number | mg/L |
|---|---|---|
| INORGANIC SALTS | ||
| Calcium chloride dihydrate | 10035-04-8 | 438.000 |
| Magnesium sulphate anhydrous | 7487-88-9 | 195.440 |
| Potassium chloride | 7447-40-7 | 660.000 |
| Potassium nitrate | 7757-79-1 | 0.152 |
| Sodium bicarbonate | 144-55-8 | 6048.000 |
| Sodium chloride | 7647-14-5 | 9010.000 |
| Sodium dihydrogen phosphate anhydrous | 7558-80-7 | 218.000 |
| Sodium selenite | 10102-18-8 | 0.0346 |
| Component | CAS Number | mg/L |
|---|---|---|
| AMINO ACIDS | ||
| Glycine | 56-40-6 | 60.000 |
| L-Alanine | 56-41-7 | 50.000 |
| L-Arginine hydrochloride | 1119-34-2 | 168.000 |
| L-Asparagine | 70-47-3 | 50.000 |
| L-Aspartic acid | 56-84-8 | 60.000 |
| L-Cystine dihydrochloride | 30925-07-6 | 182.480 |
| L-Glutamic acid | 56-86-0 | 150.000 |
| L-Glutamine | 56-85-9 | 1168.000 |
| L-Histidine hydrochloride monohydrate | 5934-29-2 | 84.000 |
| L-Isoleucine | 73-32-5 | 209.600 |
| L-Leucine | 61-90-5 | 209.600 |
| L-Lysine hydrochloride | 657-27-2 | 292.400 |
| L-Methionine | 63-68-3 | 60.000 |
| L-Phenylalanine | 63-91-2 | 132.000 |
| L-Proline | 147-85-3 | 80.000 |
| L-Serine | 56-45-1 | 84.000 |
| L-Threonine | 72-19-5 | 190.400 |
| L-Tryptophan | 73-22-3 | 32.000 |
| L-Tyrosine disodium salt | 69847-45-6 | 208.400 |
| L-Valine | 72-18-4 | 187.200 |
| Component | CAS Number | mg/L |
|---|---|---|
| VITAMINS | ||
| Choline chloride | 67-48-1 | 8.000 |
| D-Biotin | 58-85-5 | 0.026 |
| D-Ca-Pantothenate | 137-08-6 | 8.000 |
| Folic acid | 59-30-3 | 8.000 |
| Nicotinamide | 98-92-0 | 8.000 |
| Pyridoxal hydrochloride | 65-22-5 | 8.000 |
| Riboflavin | 83-88-5 | 0.800 |
| Thiamine hydrochloride | 67-03-8 | 8.000 |
| Vitamin B12 | 68-19-9 | 0.026 |
| i-Inositol | 87-89-8 | 14.400 |
| OTHERS | ||
| D-Glucose | 50-99-7 | 9000.000 |
| Sodium pyruvate | 113-24-6 | 220.000 |
Manufacturing & compliance
Manufactured under an ISO 13485:2016 quality management system; aseptic fill and finish in Totowa, NJ, with every lot released against compendial test methods.
ISO 13485:2016 QMS
Documented, audited quality management system aligned with 21 CFR Part 820 (cGMP).
Ultrapure Type 1 Water
18.2 MΩ·cm water as the formulation base for low ionic and endotoxin background.
ISO Class 5 Fill & Finish
Aseptic filling in an ISO Class 5 (Class 100) environment in Totowa, NJ, right after the final 0.04 µm polish.
Micro-Batch Precision
Small, tightly controlled batches for consistent composition and pH from lot to lot.
Endotoxin — USP <85> BET
Released at < 0.05 EU/mL.
Particulate — USP <788> Method 2
Subvisible particles ≥10 µm and ≥25 µm within compendial limits.
Osmolality — USP <785>
Measured per lot and reported on the CoA.
Documentation / CoA
Appearance, pH 7.4 (± 0.04), 14-day sterility, endotoxin and osmolality per lot.
How DCP-IMDM-R2X compares
Same IMDM chemistry, different purity class. Conventional columns describe typical single-pass 0.22 µm-filtered catalog media.
| Parameter | DCP-IMDM-R2X (FluxMPS™) | Conventional IMDM, 1X (0.22 µm filtered) | Conventional 2X medium (0.22 µm filtered) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Formulation | 2X IMDM High Glucose; free of Phenol Red and HEPES | 1X IMDM, ready to use | Double-strength, for semisolid culture |
| Final filtration pore size | 0.04 µm | 0.22 µm | 0.22 µm |
| Number of filtration stages | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| Mycoplasma barrier filtration | check_circle | cancel | cancel |
| Endotoxin specification | < 0.05 EU/mL | Often not specified at this level | Often not specified at this level |
| USP <788> particulate compliance | check_circle | cancel | cancel |
| Ultrapure Type 1 water (18.2 MΩ·cm) | check_circle | Varies | Varies |
| ISO 13485:2016 manufacturing | check_circle | Varies | Varies |
| Microfluidic channel compatibility | check_circle | cancel | cancel |
| Custom formulation | check_circle | cancel | cancel |
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about using DCP-IMDM-R2X for semisolid, 3D, microfluidic and conventional culture.
Supporting literature
Peer-reviewed background on IMDM, hybridoma, soft-agar and hydrogel culture, HEPES buffering, Phenol Red, organ-on-a-chip culture and mycoplasma control.
- Iscove NN, Melchers F. Complete replacement of serum by albumin, transferrin, and soybean lipid in cultures of lipopolysaccharide-reactive B lymphocytes. J Exp Med. 1978;147(3):923–933. doi:10.1084/jem.147.3.923
- Dulbecco R, Freeman G. Plaque production by the polyoma virus. Virology. 1959;8(3):396–397. doi:10.1016/0042-6822(59)90043-1
- Köhler G, Milstein C. Continuous cultures of fused cells secreting antibody of predefined specificity. Nature. 1975;256(5517):495–497. doi:10.1038/256495a0
- Borowicz S, Van Scoyk M, Avasarala S, et al. The soft agar colony formation assay. J Vis Exp. 2014;(92):e51998. doi:10.3791/51998
- Bell E, Ivarsson B, Merrill C. Production of a tissue-like structure by contraction of collagen lattices by human fibroblasts of different proliferative potential in vitro. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 1979;76(3):1274–1278. doi:10.1073/pnas.76.3.1274
- Good NE, Winget GD, Winter W, Connolly TN, Izawa S, Singh RMM. Hydrogen ion buffers for biological research. Biochemistry. 1966;5(2):467–477. doi:10.1021/bi00866a011
- Berthois Y, Katzenellenbogen JA, Katzenellenbogen BS. Phenol red in tissue culture media is a weak estrogen: implications concerning the study of estrogen-responsive cells in culture. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 1986;83(8):2496–2500. doi:10.1073/pnas.83.8.2496
- Bhatia SN, Ingber DE. Microfluidic organs-on-chips. Nat Biotechnol. 2014;32(8):760–772. doi:10.1038/nbt.2989
- Low LA, Mummery C, Berridge BR, Austin CP, Tagle DA. Organs-on-chips: into the next decade. Nat Rev Drug Discov. 2021;20(5):345–361. doi:10.1038/s41573-020-0079-3
- Leung CM, de Haan P, Ronaldson-Bouchard K, et al. A guide to the organ-on-a-chip. Nat Rev Methods Primers. 2022;2:33. doi:10.1038/s43586-022-00118-6
- Drexler HG, Uphoff CC. Mycoplasma contamination of cell cultures: incidence, sources, effects, detection, elimination, prevention. Cytotechnology. 2002;39(2):75–90. doi:10.1023/A:1022913015916
- Halldorsson S, Lucumi E, Gómez-Sjöberg R, Fleming RMT. Advantages and challenges of microfluidic cell culture in polydimethylsiloxane devices. Biosens Bioelectron. 2015;63:218–231. doi:10.1016/j.bios.2014.07.029
