BrainPhys Without Phenol Red

This serum-free, chemically defined neuronal culture medium supports the long-term viability, function, and connectivity of primary neurons in vitro. Created by STEMCELL Technologies as part of the BrainPhys platform, the formulation is built around physiological ion concentrations and metabolic substrates that more closely match cerebrospinal fluid than legacy basal media such as DMEM.

The phenol red-free version removes a common source of interference in fluorescence-based readouts and eliminates a weak estrogenic signal, so it is the preferred option for calcium imaging, optogenetics, and hormone-sensitive assays. The medium is supplied as a 500 mL bottle of liquid intended for cell culture workflows, including rodent primary cortical and hippocampal neuron cultures maintained for several weeks, iPSC-derived neuron maturation on multi-electrode arrays, glass coverslips, or 3D scaffolds, and brain-region organoid and assembloid models that require in vivo-like extracellular conditions.

Storage and handling: refrigerate the bottle at 4 °C upon arrival, protect from light, and warm only the working aliquot to room temperature before each feeding session. Shelf life is 12 months from the date of manufacture. Supplements such as NeuroCult SM1, GDNF for dopaminergic cultures, or BrainPhys Optimization supplements are added immediately before use depending on cell type.

The complete BrainPhys system integrates with BrainPhys Imaging Medium, BrainTrac imaging-compatible buffers, and Electrophysiology Kits from STEMCELL Technologies, and is referenced in published studies on synaptic activity, network bursting, and in vitro neuronal differentiation.