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MDA-MB-231: reference & planning

Compare source conditions and connect them to a measured preparation plan.

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Culture formulation

ATCC reference
Formulation for MDA-MB-231

Leibovitz’s L-15 · 10% FBS · 37°C · Atmospheric air; no added CO₂

This choice updates the calculator and resets the serum to the selected reference. You can then edit the serum and supplements below.

Transition the cells to a CO₂-dependent medium
  1. Start from a healthy, established culture; recover newly thawed cells using the supplier’s conditions.
  2. Keep a parallel culture in the original medium while assessing the alternative.
  3. Use a lab-approved adaptation plan. Compare growth and morphology before progressing, and check relevant function after adaptation.

Gas exchange follows the formulation, not the passage number. L-15 mixed with bicarbonate-buffered medium needs validated pH and gas conditions. A fixed 75/25 → 50/50 → 25/75 schedule does not establish when to seal or loosen caps.

At the selected 5% CO₂ endpoint, use the exact compatible medium and a vessel that permits gas exchange, such as a vented cap, according to your protocol. DMEM products differ in bicarbonate content.

ATCC: adaptation and buffering guidance
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Cell-line reference

MDA-MB-231 HTB-26

Sourced reference

Vendor conditions describe the referenced product and formulation. Match these to your lab’s approved protocol and culture history.

View source · ATCC
Reviewed 2026-09-28
This ATCC L-15 formulation is for atmospheric air. Do not carry a 5% CO₂ setting over from another medium.

Culture environment

37°C · Atmospheric air; no added CO₂
Adherent · Human · Breast

Medium

ATCC-formulated Leibovitz’s L-15
10% FBS (final v/v)

Passaging

ATCC gives a reference split range of 1:2–1:4 and medium renewal 2–3 times per week.

Trypsin–EDTA, following the linked ATCC procedure.

Growth

Reference data not yet verified.

Cryopreservation

ATCC lists complete growth medium with 5% v/v DMSO.

View source · ATCC
Reviewed 2026-09-28

From reference to calculation

MDA-MB-231: keep medium, atmosphere and cell count together

A mathematically balanced recipe does not establish that two culture formulations are interchangeable. Record which formulation and atmosphere belong to your stock.

Scientific contributor: Dr. Tayner Rodriguez Garzon · Published by Cell Culture Tools · How content is prepared

Published 2 November 2026 · Illustrative calculations; use your approved protocol for biological conditions.

The reference is an L-15 and air combination

ATCC HTB-26 specifies Leibovitz’s L-15 with 10% FBS and incubation without added CO₂. Its product information cautions against a CO₂/air mixture with this formulation. Do not carry over the incubator setting from a different basal medium.

The alternative-formulation control on this site describes separately sourced options. Selecting an option changes the calculation context; it does not demonstrate adaptation of your culture. Keep the medium product, supplements, atmosphere and culture history together in the experimental record. An arithmetic calculator cannot infer a transition schedule from the name of a cell line.

A recipe can balance in either medium and still answer the wrong question

For a 250 mL final batch at 10% FBS with no other additions, the volume balance is 225 mL basal medium plus 25 mL FBS. Substituting the name DMEM for L-15 would leave those numbers unchanged. That numerical agreement says nothing about buffering, adaptation or whether the resulting conditions match your protocol.

This is why the medium name and atmosphere stay visible beside the tools. Resolve the biological formulation first, then calculate its quantities. An unchanged serum percentage is not evidence that two complete media have the same composition.

Compare experiments using cell targets, not a fixed stock volume

Suppose two independently measured stocks contain 700,000 and 1,400,000 viable cells/mL. These hypothetical measurements are not presented as an effect of changing medium. A fixed 0.2 mL stock addition would deliver 140,000 cells from one and 280,000 from the other.

For an illustrative target of 200,000 viable cells in a 2 mL well, calculate each stock addition separately. The medium contribution changes to keep the final well volume constant.

Equal cell target and final volume from unequal stocks
Viable stockStock for 200,000 cellsFresh medium to 2 mL
700,000 cells/mL0.28571 mL1.71429 mL
1,400,000 cells/mL0.14286 mL1.85714 mL

Keep the comparison interpretable

Record the measured stock concentration, the cell target, the final volume and the formulation for each condition. Matching one of these does not automatically match the others. If a later experiment differs, these records help distinguish a preparation difference from a biological observation.

Sources and the next calculation

ATCC HTB-26: MDA-MB-231 product information supports the stated product context. The interpretation above was prepared using product information retrieved on 1 November 2026; the reference cards retain their own field-review dates. The worked comparisons are original arithmetic examples, not reported experimental results.

Spot an unclear assumption? Send the page, input values and source for a correction.