If this is an issue of microorganism contamination, is it too inefficient to disinfect serum from adult sacrificed animals? Or does adult bovine serum just not work in cell culture? I am asking because I recently read that fetal blood drawal is quite cruel and ethically debated.
As far as I know FBS has lower leves of antibodies and higher levels of growth factor than serum from adult cows, making it more suitable for fussy cells.
Also the influence of established protocols and acceptance should not be underestimated.
I agree with Victoria. Fetal serum does not contain antibodies. On I side note, this means you do not have to "inactivate" the complement at high temperature when using FBS for cell culture, which causes the growth factors to remain active.
https://www.gembio.com/blog-entry/serum-fbs-bcs-human-horse-what-am-i-supposed-use
this might help
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