STEMdiff APEL2 Medium

A chemically defined, serum-free, and animal origin-free differentiation medium from STEMCELL Technologies supports directed lineage commitment of human embryonic stem (ES) cells and induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells. Built on a recombinant albumin, polyvinyl alcohol, and lipid platform, the formulation removes lot-to-lot variability tied to serum and animal-derived ingredients and enables ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm specification in vitro when paired with appropriate cytokines or induction factors.

Supplied as a ready-to-use 100 mL liquid in a single bottle, the medium is compatible with both adherent monolayer cultures and embryoid body workflows, including protocols that use AggreWell™400. Published endothelial protocols plate hPSCs at 50,000 cells/cm² and culture for 6 days in the medium plus BMP4, CHIR, and VEGF to yield CD31+/CD34+/CD144+ populations. Hematopoietic protocols supplement with SCF, BMP4, VEGF-165, bFGF, and Rho Kinase Inhibitor IV, generating embryoid bodies by seeding 8000 hPSCs per microwell plate or 500 hPSCs per AggreWell™400 microwell.

Aliquot upon arrival and store at -20°C, protected from light, to preserve activity across multiple freeze-thaw cycles; once thawed, the medium is stable for short-term refrigerated use for up to two weeks. The 500 mL package is sold under catalog number 05275, and the medium has been validated across hPSC lines including H9, SCTi003-A, and WLS-1C. Downstream characterization commonly uses flow cytometry, immunocytochemistry staining, and qPCR gene expression profiling of lineage markers; intended for research use only.