Myeloma cell culture in transferrin-free low iron medium

A method for the in vitro culture of a myeloma cell line, the method comprising:

• (a) inoculating a culture medium with the myeloma cell line, said medium being capable of supporting the growth of said myeloma cell line and comprising ferric ammonium citrate at a concentration in the medium of from 0.4 mg/L to 10 mg/L, wherein said medium does not contain any of a transferrin, a lipophilic chelator, a synthetic nitrogen-containing chelator and a lipophilic synthetic nitrogen-containing chelator;
• and
• (b) growing of the inoculated culture medium under appropriate conditions and using agitated suspension culture.

A process for obtaining a mammalian cell product comprising culturing a myeloma cell capable of producing said product under agitated suspension culture and in a culture medium capable of supporting the growth of said myeloma cell line, said medium comprising iron at concentrations in the medium of from 0.064 mg/L to 1.6 mg/L, or ferric ammonium citrate at a concentration in the medium of from about 0.4 mg/L to about 10 mg/L, wherein said medium does not contain any of a transferrin, a lipophilic chelator, a synthetic nitrogen-containing chelator and a lipophilic synthetic;

• nitrogen-containing chelator;
• and recovering said mammalian cell product, and
• wherein the source of iron is a soluble iron compound selected from the group consisting of ferric ammonium citrate, ferric ammonium oxalate, ferric ammonium fumarate, ferric ammonium malate and ferric ammonium succinate.