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MethoCult™ H4435 Enriched

Methylcellulose-based medium with recombinant cytokines for human cells

MethoCult™ H4435 Enriched

Methylcellulose-based medium with recombinant cytokines for human cells

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Methylcellulose-based medium with recombinant cytokines for human cells
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Overview

MethoCult™ H4435 Enriched (MethoCult™ GF+ H4435) is a complete methylcellulose-based medium for the growth and enumeration of hematopoietic progenitor cells in colony-forming unit (CFU) assays of human bone marrow, mobilized peripheral blood, peripheral blood, and cord blood samples. This medium supports optimal growth of erythroid progenitor cells (BFU-E and CFU-E), granulocyte-macrophage progenitor cells (CFU-GM, CFU-G and CFU-M), and multipotential granulocyte, erythroid, macrophage and megakaryocyte progenitor cells (CFU-GEMM). MethoCult™ H4435 Enriched is recommended for use with CD34+ cells and other purified cell populations, and for CFU assays performed as part of LTC-IC assays.

Browse our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on performing the CFU assay and explore its utility as part of the cell therapy workflow.
Contains
• Methylcellulose in Iscove's MDM
• Fetal bovine serum
• Bovine serum albumin
• 2-Mercaptoethanol
• Recombinant human stem cell factor (SCF)
• Recombinant human interleukin 3 (IL-3)
• Recombinant human interleukin 6 (IL-6)
• Recombinant human erythropoietin (EPO)
• Recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF)
• Recombinant human granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF)
• Supplements
Subtype
Semi-Solid Media, Specialized Media
Cell Type
Hematopoietic Stem and Progenitor Cells
Species
Human, Non-Human Primate
Application
Cell Culture, Colony Assay, Functional Assay
Brand
MethoCult
Area of Interest
Stem Cell Biology

Data Figures

Procedure Summary for Hematopoietic CFU Assays

Figure 1. Procedure Summary for Hematopoietic CFU Assays

Examples of Colonies Derived from Human Hematopoietic Progenitors

Figure 2. Examples of Colonies Derived from Human Hematopoietic Progenitors

Protocols and Documentation

Find supporting information and directions for use in the Product Information Sheet or explore additional protocols below.

Document Type
Product Name
Catalog #
Lot #
Language
Document Type
Product Name
Catalog #
04445, 04435
Lot #
All
Language
English
Document Type
Product Name
Catalog #
04435
Lot #
All
Language
English
Document Type
Product Name
Catalog #
04445, 04435
Lot #
All
Language
English

Applications

This product is designed for use in the following research area(s) as part of the highlighted workflow stage(s). Explore these workflows to learn more about the other products we offer to support each research area.

Resources and Publications

Frequently Asked Questions

Why use semi-solid media?

Semi-solid media (methylcellulose-based MethoCult™ and collagen-based MegaCult™-C) allow the clonal progeny of a single progenitor cell to remain spatially isolated from other colonies within a culture, so they may be separately identified and counted.

Why use methylcellulose-based media?

Methylcellulose permits better growth of erythroid colonies than other types of semi-solid support systems (eg. agar) while allowing optimal myeloid colony formation. When appropriate cytokines are present, committed progenitor cells of both erythroid and granulocyte/macrophage lineages (CFU-GM, CFU-G, CFU-M) as well as multi-potential progenitor cells (CFU-GEMM), can be assayed simultaneously in the same culture dish.

Is it necessary to add antibiotics to the media?

No, aseptic technique should be sufficient to maintain sterile cultures. However, antibiotics (eg. Penicillin/Streptomycin) or anti-fungals (eg. Amphotericin B) may be added to the methylcellulose medium if desired.

Is there anything I can do if my cultures appear contaminated?

No, once contamination is visible, it is not possible to rescue the cultures by the addition of antibiotics. Bacteria and yeast inhibit colony formation by depleting nutrients or by releasing toxic substances.

Why can't I use a pipette to dispense methylcellulose-based media?

Methylcellulose is a viscous solution that cannot be accurately dispensed using a pipette due to adherence of the medium to the walls of the pipette tip. Blunt-End, 16 Gauge needles (Catalog #28110), in combination with 3 cc Syringes (Catalog #28230) are recommended for accurate dispensing of MethoCult™.

Can I 'pluck' the colonies for individual analysis?

Yes, colonies can be 'plucked' using a pipette with 200 µL sterile pipette tips or using a glass Pasteur pipette with an elongated tip. Individual colonies should be placed in a volume of 25 - 50 µL of medium, and diluted into suitable culture medium for further culture or analysis.

Why are low adherence dishes so important?

Adherent cells such as fibroblasts can cause inhibition of colony growth and obscure visualization of colonies.

Can MethoCult™ products be used for lymphoid progenitor CFU assays?

Human lymphoid progenitors (B, NK and T) seem to require stromal support for growth therefore cannot be grown in MethoCult™. Mouse pre-B clonogenic progenitors can be grown in MethoCult™ M3630 (Catalog #03630).

Is it possible to set up CFU assays in a 24-well plate?

Yes, as long as a plating concentration optimized for the smaller surface area of a well in a 24-well plate (1.9 cm2 as compared to ~9.5 cm2 for a 35 mm dish) is used for these assays. The number of replicate wells required to get an accurate estimation of CFU numbers may also need to be increased.

Can I stain colonies in MethoCult™ medium?

The cells in individual colonies in MethoCult™ can be stained, eg., for analysis of morphology or phenotype, after they are plucked from the dish and washed free of methylcellulose. Colonies grown in collagen-based MegaCult™-C medium can be used for immunohistochemical or enzymatic staining in situ after dehydration and fixation onto glass slides.

Are there differences in colony morphology with serum-free media?

Serum-containing media generally give better overall growth (colonies may appear larger) but there are no large differences in total colony numbers when CFU assays using serum-free media and serum-containing media are compared, provided that identical cytokines are present.

Can MethoCult™ be made with alternate base media?

Yes, this can be done as a 'custom' media order. Please contact techsupport@stemcell.com for more information.

Is there a MethoCult™ formulation suitable for HPP-CFC (high proliferative potential colony forming cell)?

Yes, MethoCult™ H4535 (Catalog #04535) can be used for the HPP-CFC assay as it does not contain EPO. The culture period is usually 28 days. It is not necessary to feed these cultures as growth factors in the medium are present in excess. As HPP-CFCs can be quite large, overplating can be a problem. It is recommended to plate cells at two or more different concentrations.

Publications (43)

Clonal evolution of hematopoietic stem cells after autologous stem cell transplantation H. Uryu et al. Nature Genetics 2025 Jul

Abstract

The impact of exogenous stressors, such as cancer chemotherapies, on the genomic integrity and clonal dynamics of normal hematopoiesis is not well defined. We conducted whole-genome sequencing on 1,276 single-cell-derived hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell (HSPC) colonies from ten patients with multiple myeloma treated with chemotherapies and six normal donors. Melphalan treatment significantly increased the mutational burden, producing a distinctive mutation signature, whereas other chemotherapeutic agents had minimal effects. Consequently, the clonal diversity and architecture of post-treatment HSPCs resemble those observed in normal elderly individuals, particularly through the progression of oligoclonal hematopoiesis, thereby suggesting that chemotherapy accelerates clonal aging. Integrated phylogenetic analysis of matched therapy-related myeloid neoplasm samples traced their clonal origin to a single-HSPC clone among multiple competing clones, supporting a model of oligoclonal to monoclonal transformation. These findings underscore the need for further systematic research on the long-term hematological consequences of cancer chemotherapy. Subject terms: Genetics research, Acute myeloid leukaemia
Modeling mesenchymal stromal cell support to hematopoiesis within a novel 3D artificial marrow organoid system Scientific Reports 2025 Jul

Abstract

The human bone marrow (BM) microenvironment involves hematopoietic and non-hematopoietic cell subsets organized in a complex architecture. Tremendous efforts have been made to model it in order to analyze normal or pathological hematopoiesis and its stromal counterpart. Herein, we report an original, fully-human in vitro 3D model of the BM microenvironment dedicated to study interactions taking place between mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) and hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPC) during the hematopoietic differentiation. This fully-human Artificial Marrow Organoid (AMO) model is highly efficient to recapitulate MSC support to myeloid differentiation and NK cell development from the immature CD34 + HSPCs to the most terminally differentiated CD15 + polymorphonuclear neutrophils, CD64 + monocytes or NKG2A-KIR2D + CD57 + NK subset. Lastly, our model is suitable for evaluating anti-leukemic NK cell function in presence of therapeutic agents. Overall, the AMO is a versatile, low cost and simple model able to recapitulate normal hematopoiesis and allowing more physiological drug testing by taking into account both immune and non-immune BM microenvironment interactions.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1038/s41598-025-07717-9.
The bispecific innate cell engager AFM28 eliminates CD123 + leukemic stem and progenitor cells in AML and MDS N. Schmitt et al. Nature Communications 2025 Aug

Abstract

Strategies targeting leukemic stem and progenitor cells (LSPCs) are needed for durable remissions in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and high-risk myelodysplastic neoplasms (MDS). While CD123 constitutes a promising target on LSPCs and leukemic blasts, previous CD123-targeting approaches showed limited efficacy and challenging safety profiles. Here, we describe the preclinical efficacy and safety of the bispecific CD123/CD16A innate cell engager “AFM28”, demonstrating superior activity against AML and MDS patient-derived LSPCs and blasts in vitro compared to an Fc-enhanced CD123-targeting antibody, especially towards CD123 low and/or CD64 + leukemic cells. AFM28 induces autologous anti-leukemic activity in fresh AML whole blood cultures, demonstrating its potential to enhance NK cell function from AML patients. Responsiveness can be further enhanced by allogeneic NK cell addition. Anti-leukemic activity of AFM28 is confirmed in xenograft mouse models. In addition, AFM28 is well tolerated and demonstrates pharmacodynamic activity in cynomolgus monkeys. Altogether, our results indicate that AFM28 has the potential to reduce relapse-inducing residual disease and promote long-term remissions for patients with AML and MDS with a favorable safety profile. Subject terms: Cancer immunotherapy, Preclinical research, Acute myeloid leukaemia, Myelodysplastic syndrome