The Liver Diseases Branch of the National Institutes of Diabetes and Digestive Kidney Diseases would like to purchase a single lot of fetal bovine serum (190 bottles at 500ml fetal bovine serum each), that will be used in all experiments by all researchers in the Immunology section for the next three years or longer. Fetal bovine serum lots/batches vary from vendor to vendor in the way they are processed adn screened for pathogens.

For these studies, it is necessary to expand in 1 - 2 week cultures antigen - specific T cells and to test their effector function. It is also necessary at times to generate T cell lines from single antigen - specific T cells, which requires several months of culture in the incubator. These cultures include 10% (vol/vol) fetal bovine serum to support the growth of the cells.

Three lots were tested and the MilliporeSigma Lot 17H392 was identified as the most suitable lot and can be purchased by Sigma - Aldrich. 

Bid Protests Not Available