Serum-free medium for generation and propagation of functional human cytotoxic and helper T cell clones.

A serum-free lymphocyte culture medium is described in which serum is replaced by bovine serum albumin, transferrin, insulin, ethanolamine and a mixture of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids (linoleic acid, oleic acid and palmitic acid). In this serum-free medium proliferative and cytotoxic responses induced in mixed lymphocyte culture were comparable with those obtained in medium containing serum. Antigen-specific cytotoxic and helper T cells were isolated and could be propagated in serum-free medium without loss of function.