Abstract
HeLa [human cervical cancer] cells grow in a nutritionally complete synthetic medium (Ham''s F12) supplemented with insulin, transferrin, hydrocortisone (aldosterone), fibroblast growth factor and epidermal growth factor. This hormone-supplemented medium supports clonal growth, long-term cultivation and a growth rate equal to that of serum-supplemented medium. The omission of any 1 of the 5 components results in less than maximal cell growth.